Across A Minefield
by TinyDancer14
Summary: Their relationship was almost like a game. Don't say this, don't say that. How far could they bend without breaking? One false step and it was all over. It was a dangerous minefield that they didn't know how to cross.
1. Bad Blood

**Welcome to my new story! Thank you so much for choosing "Across A Minefield," and I really hope you enjoy it. It's a bit of touchy or sore subject for some people and I completely understand that. So if you don't like it or can't handle it, don't read it, please. If at any time there is something that seems off or wrong about any of the material, don't hesitate to click that 'Review' or PM button. I'd love to hear from you. =)**

**Thanks for choosing it and please read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

Across A Minefield

Chapter One: Bad Blood

**...............**

**Bad Blood**- An idiom used to express the hate felt by some people because of things that happened in the past. Example: Troy and Abby had a lot of **bad blood** between them, but no one actually knew why.

**...............**

When you think of the way relationships are supposed to be, what comes to mind? If you're one of those hopeless romantics, you might think of having a suave, caring boyfriend who dotes on you and believes that you are his everything, his love, his life. Even if you're a skeptic, there is still a certain kind of significant other that you desire to find, whether it's the boyfriend who brings you flowers and candy, or the guy who takes you to dinner and for long walks along the shoreline. This is the happier side of the relationship; the cheesy but adorable 'lovey-dovey' moments that every little girl lives for.

Of course, with every great relationship, there has to be a healthy dose of arguments. Whether it's about the petty things, such as leaving a mess behind in your tracks or the major things, like serious accusations, the aforementioned arguments are necessary to cleanse the relationship and make it that much stronger. Once they're over, it's back to the happy-go-lucky stage with your love. Now, this is how relationships should work, right? Especially in high school, when nothing is ever too serious. But there's always that one couple that is the odd one out. One couple that doesn't fit and makes you feel uneasy when you're near them.

In East High School, that couple was Troy Bolton and Abigail Miller.

Troy and Abigail- known to all her friends and family as Abby- had known each other almost their entire life. Abby moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the seventh grade and Troy was her first friend. He had helped her find her classes in the great expanse that was middle school, sat with her at lunch, and then walked her home. By the end of the day, Abby had already told Troy that he was her best friend. Sure, they had just met. But they had clicked, and that was all that was important to the two of them. Troy introduced her to his friends- Chad, Jason, and Zeke- and they had all been a little bit skeptical. She was different, they noticed, but she was nice enough. They accepted her as part of the group.

Abby was intelligent and outgoing. She was tall and blonde and beautiful, but even though her physical description fit that of a cheerleader, she wouldn't ever acknowledge them. Abby was a gymnast, strong and agile, and always maintained her thin frame. She was a spitfire, though; one false word and you could set her off. She didn't like to be reasoned with and she absolutely _had_ to get her way. And she usually did, until she met Troy Bolton. Troy wouldn't give in to Abby, and that's what ignited most of their arguments.

In the middle of their sophomore year of high school, Troy and Abby went through a period of absolute infatuation with one another. It was during this period that Troy asked her to be his girlfriend and she of course said yes. There were only two weeks where Troy and Abby were a normal couple. They held hands lovingly and kissed romantically and went on dinner dates into the late evening. But after that infatuation period was over, they argued and called each other awful names and just simply didn't get along. And that's how it always was with them. Not a good time, but it's what they had.

Now, why didn't they just break up? They asked each other that same question all the time. The truth was, now, as they were entering their senior year in high school, Troy and Abby just figured it wasn't worth it. They'd been together for so long, why bother giving it up? Sure they had some ups and downs- mostly downs- but when they faced a period of time without each other, they were actually a bit afraid of life alone. Their friends thought they were insane. Why stick with someone who annoys the hell out of you? To Troy and Abby, it made sense.

To everyone else, however, it was a jigsaw puzzle they could not solve.

Troy and Abby spent their lives tip-toeing around each other. Anything they said could potentially tip the other off and send them spiraling into an intense, screaming battle. One wrong step and they were forced to endure the yelling and horrid disputes. Don't say this, don't say that. Don't step here, don't step there. It was almost like a game. How much could they bend without breaking? How far could they go without the other one getting angry? One false step, and it was all over.

Their relationship was like a minefield, and they were forever just trying to safely cross it.

* * *

Most students, despite the grade level, are extremely excited and anxious on the last day of school. It not only means the end of work and the beginning of summer, but it's also a symbol of a new beginning. People change over the summer- they get jobs, they mature, they become adults in more ways than one. Sure, summer is filled with barbeques, pool parties, and sun-soaked days with your friends, but it also means preparing for the next, and in this case final, year of school. However, most students wouldn't look at it this way. Most students wouldn't even think of the next year, because they're too excited about their summer of lazy days and enjoyable nights. Most students aren't even worried about responsibility and determination.

But Gabriella isn't like most students.

Gabriella Montez had lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico since fifth grade, when her mother's company transferred them to the great desert state. Her parents had divorced when she was eleven; her father had remarried and had had two more children. They lived in Montana, on a horse farm. Maria Montez claimed she didn't even know the kind of person her ex-husband had become. Gabriella had never visited her father- she hadn't even attended the wedding. She preferred to live with her mother and pretend her father and his 'other family' didn't even exist.

She was a bit of a genius. Gabriella excelled in math and science, but her true passion was writing. She loved when her teachers gave them writing assignments, which always much more interesting than essays. She wrote poetry- but that was kind of boring- and some fiction pieces for the creative writing projects. Her English teacher that year had told her that tragedy was her strong point, but Gabriella really loved writing romance. It was her favorite genre, mainly because she was a hopeless romantic herself and somehow, no matter how hard she tried not to, the main character always seemed to resemble herself.

It was the last day of her junior year in high school, and it was the most challenging year yet. Colleges always said that junior year was the most important grade-wise. Gabriella always tried her hardest. She and her friends- Taylor, Kelsi, and Martha- had studied incessantly during finals week. It was funny how people became friends. She and Taylor had been best friends since fifth grade. Gabriella met Kelsi through an English project in eighth grade, and Martha on the Scholastic Decathlon team in high school. Though they talked mainly about school and clique gossip, they also talked wildly about boys.

Gabriella had never dated before. She supposed if her father was still around he would make a joke of this, saying, "Good! No reason for me to go to jail for killing a guy, then, if you've never dated one!" She sometimes let her mind wander to these thoughts and found that they didn't upset her as much as she'd expected. There really was no reason for her not have dated. She was sweet and kind and involved in her school's community. She was pretty enough, with her deep brown curls and ebony eyes. But guys didn't seem to see her as anything but a tutor. She couldn't count on one hand the number of guys who came to her wanting a better grade in calculus or chemistry.

It made her feel a little dejected.

She was ready for the year to end, but she was also ready for the next to start. Gabriella couldn't wait to go to college. She was a little bit nervous about being all on her own wherever she decided to go, but she was excited to start that new chapter of her life. She didn't even know what she wanted to be yet. Would she go for pre-law or pre-med like her mother wanted her to? Or would she settle for something simpler, something she wanted, like creative writing? It was a difficult decision to make when you're just seventeen years old.

This summer, Gabriella planned to hang out with her friends and not let anything hold her back. She was going to see Taylor and Kelsi every single day, they'd decided a few weeks back. Martha had scored a camp counseling job at a sleep-away camp a few hundred miles from home, so she would be out of reach for the two months off. And although they would miss their friend, Gabriella, Taylor and Kelsi couldn't dwell on that fact. They were too excited to start their last summer of freedom before senior year began. It would be fun and carefree, they hoped. Nothing in the world would bring them down.

Gabriella had her eyes fixated on the clock the entire last day of school. When would summer begin?

* * *

The bell rang and classrooms emptied into the hallways, students hugging their classmates and saying goodbye. They all hurried to their lockers for the last time, collecting their belongings and either heading to their cars or the buses. Taylor McKessie was waiting by her best friend's locker, as they were going to walk home together. They couldn't wait for the next year when they could drive in to school. This was such a hassle.

"Hey," Gabriella greeted her best friend, giggling slightly at the impatient look on her best friend's face. "What's up?"

"How long does it take you to get to your locker from pre-calc?" Taylor asked. "I've been standing here forever."

"You know, you do look about twenty years older," Gabriella teased and Taylor rolled her eyes playfully. "I stopped to talk to Martha on the way out. Relax, we'll beat the traffic."

"It's not really the traffic I'm worried about," Taylor told her. "I just want to get home before my sister and her friends. They're planning a graduation party and I don't want to get suckered into helping."

"You can come over to my house, if you want." Gabriella offered. "I don't have anything to do later."

"You know what? I may take you up on that," Taylor grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem. What do you want-?"

"Hey Taylor," A male voice called out. "How you doin'?"

"Fine," Taylor responded shyly. "Have a good summer, Chad!"

"You too." The bushy-haired boy grinned genuinely at her before walking off with his friends.

"Taylor!" Gabriella nearly shrieked. "Since when does Chad Danforth even acknowledge your presence?"

"We may have bonded over acids and bases in chemistry this year," Taylor blushed and glanced at her feet. "But it isn't totally a big deal."

"Seems to me like it's a big deal," Gabriella smiled. "Do you like him?"

"Who doesn't like him?" Taylor responded nonchalantly. "We'll see what happens. Are we going or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're going, we're going." Gabriella said, slamming the locker shut and turning around. "Let's go before-"

Her sentence was cut off as Troy Bolton and Abby Miller walked down the hallway at that second, hand in hand but not at all in sync with each other. They looked uncomfortable and Abby looked as if she were going to be sick. Actually, she'd looked that way for a while now. Maybe it was the poor relationship she was stuck in and couldn't get out of. Gabriella watched them and tried to hear what their current argument was about, but couldn't make out a word.

When Gabriella turned back Taylor, she was sending her a pointed stare. "What?"

"I'll admit that I like Chad," Taylor began, shaking her head as they started out of the school. "When you acknowledge your crush on Bolton."

"I don't have a crush on Troy," Gabriella insisted. "We may have been in the same English class this past year. And we may have been assigned partners for the poetry project. And we may have gotten an A plus. And... where was I going with this?"

"I don't know," Taylor said in a sing-song tone. "But I think you do have a crush on him. No matter what you say."

"Maybe I do," She sighed. "But he's taken. As are all the rest of the guys worth liking in this school."

"Hey, maybe Troy and Abby will break up over the summer," Taylor assured her. "You never know."

"Yeah," Gabriella watched as Troy and Abby stepped off the sidewalk and onto the street to cross it. "Maybe."

* * *

"Round-off, back handspring, finished with a back tuck," Coach Harding dictated. "Go."

Abby ran to the other side of the mats, pausing in the middle to take a breath. She was so winded and so worn-out, and she didn't know why. Ever since making the competitive gymnastics team, Abby had practice three times a week all year round. But she had never been so tired and so out of breath in her entire life. She performed the given tricks her coach wanted her to, but she stumbled upon landing and fell to the floor. She wasn't in pain, but her lungs were begging for the oxygen that Abby just couldn't seem to find.

"Abby," Coach Harding knelt beside her. "You okay?"

She couldn't find the energy to speak. She simply nodded and sat up, feeling light-headed but well enough to stand. Her coach eyed her. "Have you lost weight, Ab?"

Abby glanced down and examined herself. Had she? If she had, she didn't intend on it. She had always thought her body was lean and strong. There was no need to lose any weight. "Maybe."

"Why don't you go sit on the sidelines, okay? Take a drink, a breather. Come back when you feel ready."

Abby sighed and stepped off the mats, heading directly for the bathroom. Once inside, she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked god-awful. Her hair was thin and straggly, her skin was a deathly white, her eyes were dilated and glossy. What had happened? When had she become like this? Running the cold water and splashing some on her face, Abby tried to remember any past illness, but hadn't come up with anything. What was wrong with her?

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, Troy was waiting at the sidelines for her. She knew he was there to pick her up, as she didn't have her license yet, but it wasn't time to go. She scowled. "Why are you so early?"

Troy sighed. "Oh I don't know, Ab. I thought maybe I'd come by a little early so I could see you flip or whatever it is you do here. You always complain about how I never support you. Well here I am. Why aren't you out there?"

"I needed a break," Abby said shortly. "You can sit here. I'm going back out now."

"Wait," Troy reached for her, an arm catching her stomach. "Abby, stop. Let's just talk."

Abby winced and jerked away. "Don't touch my stomach."

Troy glanced at her, an odd expression coming over his face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, okay? Just drop it." She turned and without looking back, shouted, "Just sit. I'll be done soon."

Troy did so but couldn't get his mind off of Abby. He knew that their banter was nothing out of the ordinary, but the way she'd reacted to his touch scared him. She'd never pulled away before and she'd never told him _not_ to touch her. He was confused, but he knew that he couldn't do anything about it. It was a vial of emotions that was not to be disturbed; Pandora 's Box at it's finest. He and Abby would continue across their minefield of a relationship one weary and cautious step at a time.

Bad blood and all.


	2. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**Hello! Thank you all for the fabulous reviews! I didn't know if anyone was going to like this story but I'm glad it had such a great response! I'm not sure how long it's going to be or how often it's going to be updated, since I have "I'll Be There For You" to still worry about. But I'm going to try to have updates as frequent as possible. We'll have to see- it's my senior year and I'm bombarded with college stuff hahaha. Thanks!**

**Please enjoy and please review!**

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Across A Minefield

Chapter Two: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

**...............**

**Absen****ce Makes the Heart Grow Fonder-** This idiom means that when two people are apart, their love for each other grows stronger. Example: Their parents told them that **absence makes the heart grow fonder**, but Troy and Abby were a little bit skeptical.

**...............**

He needed to break up with Abby.

This was a truth acknowledged by so many and Troy was only now coming to terms with what everyone had been screaming at him to do. Truthfully, he was getting sick of her and it was obvious that she wanted nothing more to with him either. He saw the way other guys eyed her and honestly, it didn't make him jealous any longer. Back when they first started dating, if another male even glanced her way, Troy would get defensive, protective of the precious cargo he toted around on his arm. Abby would laugh it off, kiss him, and remind him that she was his and he was hers and nothing and no one would come in between that. Back at the beginning, this was all it took to solve a disagreement.

Back then, everything had been easier.

Now, at twelve forty-nine on a Thursday evening, Troy Bolton was lying awake in bed, trying to clear the millions of thoughts sprinting through his mind. He hadn't said anything to her on the ride back from the gym. He politely kissed her cheek when he dropped her off at home. He'd been silent throughout dinner, listening to his little brother complain about having to go to middle school the following year and his older sister talking about all her favorite professors from her first year at college. Then, he'd watched television uninterestedly, shot hoops for four and a half minutes, and retired to his bedroom, where he had been trying to sort out his thoughts ever since.

When did his life get this complicated?

If he wanted to break up with Abby, he would have to do it at the beginning of the summer. Troy wanted to give them both time to grieve their deceased relationship and move on from each other. He still wanted time to be free and also to play the field, but summer was very short. At three in the morning- yes, he was still awake- he decided that that day he'd tell Abby they were through. He'd explain himself, she would probably cry, but he prayed she'd understand. He couldn't be the only one unhappy with their relationship, or else she wouldn't be treating him in the same, awful way he treated her.

At five fifty-seven, Troy began to wonder if Abby was alright. Since he'd known her for such a long time, he'd become accustomed to her everyday look- she always wore things that complimented her long, tanned legs- shorts, skirts, leggings, or a combination of the three. Her long blonde hair was never tied back and it always flowed like a river cascading down the ridges of her spine and feeling so soft between his fingers. Her shirts were not too low cut and not too short, but just right, and always torso-hugging. Abby always said, "If you've got it, flaunt it." And she had it and rarely refused to flaunt it.

But lately, her skirts had gotten longer and she'd stopped wearing shorts altogether- preferring long, bell-bottom jeans. Her soft hair was now thin and straggly. And the normal, tight shirts were now replaced by big, over-sized sweatshirts and t-shirts that hid most of the body Troy was now used to seeing. He was confused- was she suddenly self-conscious? Or maybe she was making herself so worked up over their relationship woes that she was going through a metamorphosis- body and mind.

At six thirty, Troy heard his mother get up and move about the house, heading out for a day at the office. She was a family attorney, dealing with divorces, fierce custody battles, and other family disturbances. At seven, he lay in bed as his father went out for his morning run. He didn't work summers, as he was the basketball coach for the high school, but he did run a few summer camps for aspiring basketball stars during July and August. At eight, Madison, his nineteen-year-old sister, was in the kitchen making coffee. At eight-thirty, Cody, his eleven-year-old brother, was in the living room watching cartoons. Troy sighed, pushing back the covers and getting out of bed.

Another sleepless night in Albuquerque.

* * *

Gabriella awoke to the gleaming sun's rays and the chirping of the birds welcoming her into summer. She smiled- this was why she stuck junior year out. The satisfying feeling of having the whole summer to just relax was what she was looking forward to the whole year. She hopped out of bed and descended the stairs, entering the kitchen where the faint smell of chamomile tea filled the air. Her mother always preferred tea to coffee; it was one of the many quirks that Gabriella loved about her.

Maria Montez was a doctor at the general hospital in Albuquerque, a special in pediatric radiology. Gabriella was amazed that her mother could work with children who had cancer everyday and not be incredibly depressed when she came home. But she insisted to her daughter that it was not a depressing job- each of the children brought a certain light to their illness and never let it define them. She did her best to make sure that each of the children could still be the kids they were before their diagnosis and for the most part, each child eventually walked through those hospital doors for the final time.

Maria was Gabriella's hero.

So this morning, on the very first day of summer, Gabriella fixed herself a bowl of Cheerios, cut up strawberries, and milk and slid the door open to the patio, inhaling deeply as a sweet summer breeze greeted her warmly. She sat down upon the wicker couch and watched the trees sway in the wind, listening to children who were already out at play. She was only halfway through her breakfast and thought process when the phone rang throughout the kitchen. Believing it to be her mother checking up on her, Gabriella set the bowl down on the counter and picked up the phone, frowning when she saw the number listed _Montana Call_.

Her father.

"Hello?" She tried not to sound disappointed, really she did, but if Robert Montez noticed, he didn't let on.

"_Princess! Gabriella, it's been so long. How are you? I haven't talked to you since... who remembers? Beth, when was the last time I talked to Gabriella?_"

Gabriella winced at her old nickname. _Princess_. She was not a princess- life was not some sort of fairytale, and sometimes- most times- things did _not_ work out. "A long time Dad, let's just leave it at that."

"_Well you're right. It's been a while. So you're out of school now, huh? How was junior year?_"

"Terrible," She said truthfully. She hated when her father still pretended he was involved. If he wanted to know, she might as well tell him what he'd been missing. "I got all A's, but it was really hard."

"_Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, princess. Well, life's just perfect up here. I hope you'll consider applying to DeVry University next year, or at least Montana State. Beth and I would love for you to come live with us!_"

"Yeah, we'll see," She sighed uninterestedly. "Well, I have to go finish eating breakfast, so if we're done-"

"_Just think of how great it would be, princess! Your brother and sister would love to meet you, Gabriella. They ask me about you all the time!_"

Now, Gabriella highly doubted this. Why in the world would a five and seven-year-old care about a half-sister they'd never met? "Wow, that's pretty... nice, Dad. But I don't know, I think I'd rather go to Stanford or Berkeley or something."

"_Oh, and I'm sure you'll get in to those princess. You're the smartest seventeen-year-old I know._"

"Sixteen," She muttered, annoyed that he'd forgotten her birthday _again_. "I have to go."

"_Already? Well, I suppose you want to get started on your busy last summer of freedom. Beth, Owen, and Maggie say goodbye!_"

She rolled her eyes. "Bye guys."

Without another reply, Gabriella hung up the phone. More disappointing than having an absent father, she decided, was having one that pretended to still be around. One that pretended he still cared and loved her. One that only called her because he had a biological obligation to; a burden she described it as, though he would never admit that to her. He pretended all these things, but the truth was, the only ones he still cared for and loved were the ones he was surrounded by on that horse farm in Montana...

... while the family he left behind lived on in Albuquerque.

* * *

The doorbell rang at ten-seventeen that morning. Troy glanced at the door, thinking it was for Cody- the neighborhood kids loved to play with him- but Cody made no move to answer the door. Troy was half-asleep on the couch, Madison was upstairs on the computer, and Cody was playing Wii Tennis. Heaving a sigh, Troy sat up and cleared his throat. "Cody, get the door."

"No," The youngest Bolton refused. "It's not for me, anyway."

"Yeah, it probably is." Troy reasoned. "It's probably Jake or Alex or one of your other friends."

"Jake's in California," Cody replied smartly, hitting a backhand at his opponent. "Alex is leaving for France today. And I don't know about everyone else. But it's not for me."

"How do you know?" Troy asked, staring at his brother in bewilderment. "How are you so sure?"

Cody shrugged. "'Cause. That's Abby's car in the driveway. Well, her Dad's car, anyway."

Troy's eyes widened and he glanced out the adjacent window, noting that in fact it was Abby who was standing on the front porch. He crossed into the foyer and pulled open the door, his heart racing as he pondered how he would go through with this. He was going to break up with her, truly, he was. He just didn't know how to do it. She looked... off. Distraught and awkward standing there. He faked a smile to clear the air and greeted her with a kiss. "Hi Ab. What's up?"

"Troy," Abby began. "I have to talk to you."

"Oh good," Troy sighed in relief. "Because I have to talk to you too."

"You can go first, if you want," Abby told him selflessly, as she almost never was. Whatever she had to say must've been big, Troy sensed this.

"No, you go." Troy assured her. "I can wait."

_I can wait_. Those three words brought tears to Abby's eyes. God, she hoped he really _could_ wait and she hoped that by the end of this summer, she would be better. She hoped she could change for him and be everything he wanted her to be, because right now, in her current situation, she hated herself. And she was pretty sure he hated her too. Absence would be good, she believed. Absence would make everything better. Or so she was told. Was she believing in false hope?

Troy took that moment, that pause in conversation, to take in her appearance that morning. She was trembling, wearing grey track pants and a sweatshirt, her arms crossed over her stomach. Was that supposed to be a sign? "So... what's-"

"I'm leaving." Abby blurted out. "I'm going away for a while."

He was shocked at first. He didn't really know what to say. "Leaving... where? Where are you going? And how long is 'a while'?"

She shrugged, as if trying to act nonchalant. "Until the end of the summer, I guess. And... I don't really know where. I just have to go. I have to go away."

"Why? Are you..." He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he glanced at her stomach. Abby took the hint.

"I just have to leave." Abby drew in a deep breath. "I just came over to say goodbye."

"Ab... what's wrong?" Troy was in a deep pit of confusion. "Whatever it is, you don't have to leave. I can help you with this."

A few tears fell down her cheeks. "No, you can't. Not this time. Trust me, Troy. You can't do anything this time."

He pulled her in for a hug that seemed to only last a few seconds. Abby pulled away. "I'll be back in September. Bye Troy."

Troy watched her retreating figure. She was halfway down the sidewalk when he shouted, "Bye Abby. I love you."

Abby stopped walking. Slowly, she turned around and Troy could see that she was crying again. "Don't say that. Please, don't say that. You don't love me, Troy. You don't."

She ran the rest of the way to the car, where her parents pulled out of the driveway and tore down the street. Troy, in a heap of confusion and pain, went back into the house. What could be so wrong with Abby that he couldn't fix? On his way upstairs, Madison called out to him from her bedroom. "Hey Troy, why the long face? Abby break up with you?"

He knew it was only a teasing comment. But Troy groaned and continued walking towards his bedroom. "I'm going back to bed."

* * *

"Gabriella!"

"Taylor," Gabriella greeted her best friend with a giggle as the dark-haired girl entered her house, utterly concerned. "Can I help you?"

"Chad asked me out," Taylor recited almost breathlessly. "We're going for ice cream and to play mini-golf this afternoon."

"Oh my God!" Her best friend squealed, excited beyond belief on Taylor's behalf. "That's so awesome! I'm so happy for you!"

"I'm so nervous," Taylor stated truthfully. "Will you come with me?"

She gave her friend a pointed stare. "Taylor, no. I'm not going to be the third wheel on your date."

"But Gabriella, why?" Taylor whined. "I don't know Chad that well."

"And I do?" Gabriella laughed at the pathetic nature of their argument. "Just go. It'll be fun."

"It'll be much more fun and relaxed with you there!" Taylor insisted. "Plus, you wouldn't be third wheel, because you wouldn't be there with us. You'd just be, I don't know, sitting on a bench on the sidelines or something. Please?"

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a great time," Gabriella smiled, rolling her eyes. "This is _exactly_ how I wanted to spend my first day of summer."

"Gabriella, if you were my best friend in the world," Taylor started and then grinned her way. "As you are, you would do this for me. Please, please, _please_?!"

Gabriella sighed. "Fine. But if he asks me to leave, I'm leaving."

"Chad might be a basketball player, but he's not a jerk." Taylor told her friend. "He's not like the rest of them. He wouldn't ask you to go anywhere."

"Okay, you don't know that." Gabriella claimed. "And let's get this over with, please."

Meanwhile, in the Bolton home, there was pretty much the same situation going on. Chad was sitting at Troy's desk, facing his best friend who was lying upon his unmade bed. "Dude, come on. I really need you there with me today. I've never been on a real date before..."

"... so why should I be there for your first?" Troy grumbled. "I don't feel like going anywhere."

"Troy, don't even think about Abby." Chad waved it off, as he always did. "She's probably going to go visit some relative or something. Don't let her get in the way of your _last_ fun summer, man!"

"You didn't see her, though," Troy sighed, pulling himself into a sitting position. "She looked upset and told me I couldn't fix it. I can _always_ fix it. God, she pisses me off!"

"Exactly!" Chad cheered, jumping up. "That's why you should come on my date with me and meet some new chicks at the mini-golf place. Please, dude, I am begging you."

Troy glanced at the pleading look on his best friend's face and felt himself giving in. "Fine. What the hell. I'll break up with Abby when she gets back."

"Yeah, that's the spirit," Chad grinned. "So, you in?"

"Yeah," Troy smiled. "I'm in."

* * *

At Dan's Mini Golf, Taylor was fiddling nervously with her bracelet while Gabriella was watching for Chad's car to pull up. When it did- five minutes early, mind you- she stood, her knees shaking anxiously while Gabriella giggled, insisting that she shouldn't be as nervous as she was. After all, it was Chad, not the President she was meeting here. But as soon as Gabriella caught sight of the passenger in Chad's car, she was just as nervous. He had brought a comfort item as well, by the name of Troy Bolton.

The boys walked up to them casually, and, caught up in the blossoming teenage romance, Chad and Taylor hurried off to begin their game. Troy chuckled as they were forgotten, turning to Gabriella. "You were dragged here too, huh?"

Gabriella smiled, nodding. "Yeah. How are you, Troy? I haven't spoken to you since our poetry project."

"Good, you?" He returned politely. "The only reason we got an A on that project was because of you. I am _awful_ at deciphering poetry's 'true meaning.'"

She giggled slightly. "That's not true; you held your own. Although I do wish we got the 'What's In a Name?' project. It would've been so much easier. _And_ I would love to know where the name 'Troy' came from. It's so unusual."

Troy chuckled. "Wow, thanks. I've only been talking to you for a few minutes and you've already insulted me."

"No, no," She insisted, shaking her head. "It's not unusual in a bad way. I like your name. It's really... unique. You don't run into too many Troys, you know?"

"Well, you don't run into too many Gabriellas either." Troy grinned and Gabriella's heart fluttered. "Where did your name come from?"

"Hey, I asked you first." Gabriella wondered if Troy could tell that she was flirting mercilessly with him- and if he did, he obviously didn't care.

But Abby might.

"Alright," Troy exhaled. "My sister, brother and I are all named after cities."

"Really?" She seemed genuinely interested. "That's really cool."

"Yeah, not really." Troy winced. "We're all named after the cities we were conceived in. My parents like to travel."

Gabriella tried to hold back laughter. "Oh... that's really... I'm sorry."

"Me too," Troy said and the two of them burst into laughter. "Madison, my sister, is named after Madison, Wisconsin. I'm named after Troy, New York. And Cody, my little brother, is named after Cody, Wyoming."

"Well, it's still pretty cool." Gabriella smiled, still trying to suppress the laughter. "And, hey, at least they didn't conceive you in Walla Walla, Washington."

Troy chuckled openly. "That's true. Thank God."

"My name's not that interesting." She stated truthfully but Troy shook his head.

"I doubt it. It's a pretty name; it must have an interesting story."

Gabriella smiled and blushed. "Thanks. I mean, it doesn't really, but thank you. I'm named after my mother's sister, who died a few weeks before I was born. She was in a car accident. I guess I'm her namesake. I don't know; I never knew her."

"Oh," Troy said and paused a moment before smiling softly. "See? That's an interesting story. Much more realistic than mine."

"Well yours is realistic," Gabriella grinned. "Because it's _your_ reality."

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

So if absence really did make the heart grow fonder, Troy didn't care. Because his heart wasn't growing for Abby anymore.


	3. Icing On The Cake

**Hey guys! Here we are with another chapter of "Across A Minefield." I'm really glad that you guys are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it, hahah. As you can see, Troy has a major dilemma on his hands. But he'll figure it out, of course. He's Troy Bolton! So Abby's gone and so everything that was all dramatic in his life can stop, right? Well, maybe. But just because she's gone for now, doesn't mean that she's not coming back...**

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Across A Minefield

Chapter Three: Icing On the Cake

**...............**

**Icing On the Cake-** An expression used to refer to something good that happens on top of an already good thing or situation. Example: Gabriella knew this summer was going to be great, but getting to hang out with Troy was just **icing on the cake**.

**...............**

When Gabriella awoke the morning of July fourth, she knew it was going to be a good day. It had only been two weeks of summer vacation and already she was having an excellent time. Just three days earlier, Chad had quit beating around the bush and finally asked Taylor to be his girlfriend. She said yes, of course, but was still determined to have a great summer with her best friend, so she compromised. Chad and Taylor hung out with Troy and Gabriella every single day since, and the latter two were enjoying the "getting to know you" process. Of course, this proximity to Troy wasn't helping Gabriella's relentless crush on him, but she decided to ignore that fact for now.

If Abby wasn't around, she could enjoy Troy's company all she wanted, right?

They talked about school and the different teachers they had mainly. Having someone to talk about how crazy Miss Darbus was or how their Spanish teacher never seemed to want to cut her hair was enjoyable. But Gabriella wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know about his brother and sister, what his parents did for a living, what he wanted to do with his life upon graduating high school… and of course, where Abby was staying this summer, since no one had seen her since the final day of school. She decided that today would be the day she'd learn this information, grinning to herself as she realized how ridiculous it must seem that she planned her conversations with him.

Hey, Gabriella was new to this sort of thing.

At ten o'clock a.m., she descended the stairs to a once again empty kitchen. Expecting her mother to be gone, she wasn't disappointed by this fact. She simply poured herself some cereal and ate it quietly, glancing at the thermometer attached to the kitchen window above the sink. Her deep ebony eyes widened upon the realization that at ten in the morning it was already eighty-four degrees outside. It was going to be another scorching hot day in the New Mexican summer sun, Gabriella knew, and dressed accordingly in a purple tank top and white shorts, slipping on simple white flip-flops and tying her hair into a ponytail before leaving the house.

She was meeting the typical foursome at the Fourth of July carnival in the local park, where every year hundreds of residents of Albuquerque would flock to, paying for their children to ride the various amusement park attractions and eating the not so healthy carnival food that included sausage heroes, cotton candy, candy apples, and fried dough. At dusk, there was an extensive fireworks display, one of the biggest and brightest in all of New Mexico. Gabriella, upon arriving at the park that was just minutes away from her house, glanced through the crowd, searching desperately for her friends and hoping they wouldn't make her wait in the hot sun too long.

"Looking for someone?"

Gabriella turned around to meet the shaded eyes of Chad Danforth, who was grinning at her as she squinted in the sunlight. Gabriella bit her lip, nodding. "Hey Chad. Where's everyone else?"

"And by everyone else you mean Troy and Tay?" Chad chuckled and Gabriella joined in. "Don't know. Taylor texted me a minute ago to tell me she was running late. But I don't know where Bolton is."

"Can you believe how overpriced this thing is?" Gabriella began, trying to make conversation. She'd never been alone with just her and Chad before. "Ten dollars for admission? It used to be free!"

"At least the rides are still free," Chad assured her. "But ten dollars is a little pricy for the Tilt-A-Whirl and a cheesy Haunted House."

"I know," Gabriella agreed. "I mean come on. The rides aren't really worth it."

"But the food is," Chad grinned, patting his stomach. "Too bad you have to pay extra."

"Are you guys talking about economics?" Troy asked, approaching his two friends. "At the Fourth of July carnival?"

Gabriella giggled. "Maybe."

"We were just talking about how ten dollars is ridiculous for this pathetic little 'carnival,'" Chad said. "Plus you still have to pay for food!"

"Always thinking of your stomach, aren't you Danforth?" Troy shook his head teasingly.

Chad mock-glared at him. "_Yes_, as a matter of fact, I am."

"Sorry!" Taylor exclaimed hurriedly, rushing up to the group. "I overslept and then I thought we were meeting at eleven-thirty!"

"It's alright," Chad winked at her. "You're here now."

"Yeah, you didn't miss much," Troy told her, beginning to laugh again. "Chad and Gabriella were having an intense discussion on carnival economics."

Taylor scrunched up her nose. "Ew. Why?"

"No clue."

"It's a simple conversation starter," Gabriella defended. "We were having a good talk, weren't we Chad?"

"We were," Chad agreed. "And all that talk about money made me hungry. Who's up for some popcorn? Ooh, I could go for some fried dough right now too."

As Chad began to drag Taylor towards one of the many food stands, Troy turned to Gabriella. "You hungry?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Me either," Troy smiled. "Let's go."

Gabriella didn't exactly know where they were headed, but with Troy at the lead, she'd follow him anywhere. Pathetic, she knew, but her crush had never ceased. Just one look at those piercing cobalt eyes and that was it; she was free-falling into the land of what might have been. What would've happened if she had gotten to Troy before Abby had? Shaking her head clear of those thoughts, Gabriella decided not to toy with the unknown. She glanced around at her surroundings and noticed they were wandering away from the carnival, towards the forest-like bunch of trees at the back of the park.

"Where are we going?"

"For a walk," Troy told her. "Chad and I used to come here all the time when we were younger. We'd play hide and seek for hours. And we'd always come home with scratches and scrapes from climbing all the trees."

Gabriella ran her hand up and down one of the oak trees. "I've never climbed a tree before."

Troy stopped walking and gaped at her. "_Never?_ Are you serious?"

"Yeah," She said, not sure why this was such a big deal. "I was never really a nature girl."

"Gabriella," Troy shook his head. "Climbing a tree is the most basic childhood activity. You seriously never climbed one before?"

"Nope," She disputed. "Never."

"Wanna learn how?" Troy asked her, his eyes lighting up at the prospect.

Gabriella giggled at the look on his face. "I have to _learn_? How hard is it?"

He held up a hand. "Hey, it's harder than it looks. It's kind of like rock climbing, but you don't have the harness if you fall."

"I've never rock climbed before either," She confessed, and then burst into laughter at the look of utter horror and disbelief on Troy's face.

"You have to be _kidding_ me!" He exclaimed. "What did you do when you were a kid?"

"I was extremely content to just stay inside and play with my Barbie dolls, thank you." Gabriella said matter-of-factly.

"Okay," Troy sighed. "This might be harder than I thought."

He approached a tree near the two of them and glanced up to one of the thick branches, nodding as he noted that it would be acceptable. "So, you have to find somewhere to step, but you also need something to hold on to so you can pull yourself up."

"Really?" She responded sarcastically. "I never would've guessed."

Troy sent her a look. "Don't mock me, Montez."

She giggled again, watching him as he pulled himself to the first low branch of the tree. "Okay, then you have to find a branch thick enough to support your weight, which, lucky for us, I have already done."

Then, Troy effortlessly hoisted himself to a sitting position on the branch near the top of the tree. "And the leaves act as an umbrella, shading us from the sun and heat. Nice, huh?"

"Absolutely," Gabriella couldn't fight the grin off her face.

"Okay, your turn." He stared down at her, waiting for her to take initiative and begin to climb, but she stayed just where she was. "Come on, it's a tree. It's not going to bite you."

"Ha ha," She stuck her tongue out at him, glancing at the trunk. "Is it really necessary that I climb this thing?"

"Yes," He told her as if it were obvious. "You think you're going to go to college without ever climbing a tree?"

"Alright fine," Gabriella sighed, stepping in the same spot Troy had and grasping the branch above her. "Now what?"

"Pull yourself up," He instructed. "So that you can stand on that branch right there. Then you can move over here and sit on this branch with me."

"You sure it's not going to break?" She asked him hesitantly and he frowned.

"I'm not that fat, trust me."

Bursting into laughter, she shook her head wildly. "That's not what I meant! Are you sure the branch can support both our weight?"

"No," He shrugged. "But we're going to find out."

She drew in a deep breath and pulled herself up to the spot where Troy was sitting calmly, watching over the carnival below. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled joyfully in Troy's direction. "I did it!"

"You did," He chuckled. "I really am proud of your accomplishment."

"Thanks," She replied, teetering a bit on the branch. "Oh God, we're like twenty feet up. What if I fall?"

"Relax," Troy told her calmly, placing a hand on her leg to steady her. "I wouldn't ever let that happen."

Gabriella smiled warmly at him and she was sure she fell just a bit farther for him. Glancing down to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks, she tried to turn the topic around so that she could compose herself and they could talk about something that wouldn't increase her feelings for him. Wracking her brain for a subject- which, in normal circumstances wouldn't naturally be an issue- Gabriella glanced back out towards the carnival, where Chad and Taylor were waiting in line for the Ferris wheel and sighed in contentment.

"So how's your summer been so far?" She asked him casually, bringing her deep brown eyes to match his shining blue ones.

"Surprisingly chill," Troy answered. "I don't know why, but I expected it to be a bit more…"

"Intense?" Gabriella finished for him and Troy looked startled.

"Yeah, actually." He agreed. "Intense. How'd you know that's what I was thinking of?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh I don't know. Great minds think alike?"

"Sure," He said. "They do."

A few moments later, he came up with the new topic. "What does your mom do for a living?"

She chuckled. "That's completely random!"

"Hey, I was curious," He defended. "You always talk about how she's working late and how you don't get to see her that often."

Gabriella bit her lip. "I am?"

"Yeah," He answered softly. "I mean, it's not a big deal. You must miss her, that's all."

"I do," She told him truthfully. "She's a doctor; a pediatric radiologist, to be exact. She works with kids with cancer."

"I know what radiology is, thank you." Troy teased her. "You wouldn't believe it but I'm actually _passing_ school."

Gabriella smiled at him, shaking her head slightly. "Sorry, I just got used to explaining it to people. When I say 'pediatric radiologist,' people just stare at me."

"That's weird," He admitted. "You'd think people would know what that is."

"I know. It always amazes me when people ask."

"It must be hard though," Troy decided after a moment. "You know, having to see kids struggle every day like that. Your Mom must be really strong."

"Really strong and really brave," Gabriella added. "She is. She says that what she does never really bothers her, but last week, they lost a ten-year-old boy to brain cancer. He had an inoperable tumor and my Mom was so upset she couldn't save him."

Troy shook his head slowly, processing the kind of life or death situations Gabriella's mother saw every day. "I don't think I could do it."

"Me either. Definitely not." Gabriella said firmly. "I'm too much of a wimp. I mean look at me, I didn't even want to climb this tree!"

Troy chuckled. "But you did it!"

"I know!" She squealed. "I'm so proud!"

"Me too," He said much more genuine this time, squeezing her knee for effect. "Good job."

Ignoring the butterflies that flurried in her stomach, Gabriella turned to him. "What do your parents do? And I didn't even know you had siblings. That's really cool."

"Actually they're really annoying," Troy told her honestly. "But my Dad is the basketball coach at East High-"

"Oh yeah," Gabriella laughed nervously, feeling idiotic for asking such an obvious question. "And your Mom's the lawyer right? At Dreyer, Johnson, and Johnson?"

Troy nodded. "You've seen the commercial then?"

"A thousand times," She admitted. "It comes on every five minutes."

"It's so annoying," Troy sighed. "My entire life, people would come up to me and quote my mom from the commercial. 'Lucille Bolton, Family Law Attorney. If you need help with the three D's- divorce, domestic relations, divisions- I'm the one for you!' Incredibly irritating, one might say."

"I like the imitation of your Mom's voice," Gabriella giggled. "I'm sure she'd appreciate it to."

He grinned. "Probably not."

"So what about your brother and sister? What are they like?"

"Madison's nineteen," Troy listed. "She's a goody-two-shoes, gets straight As in college, and wants to be a lawyer just like my Mom. She's the family suck-up- that's what Cody and I call her."

"That's not very nice," She chastised teasingly. "I'm sure she's a sweet girl."

"Why don't you meet her and I'll let you decide?" Troy said dryly. "Cody is almost as bad. He's eleven and thinks he's the coolest kid ever. He wears his hats backwards, purposely wears his jeans almost around his ankles, and uses slang terms that make my mother sick. But he's fun, I guess. Annoying, but fun."

"That's awesome," Gabriella replied, nearly awestruck. "I wish I had a brother or sister. It's so boring and quiet at my house."

"Are you kidding? I would give anything to be an only child."

Gabriella bit her lip, remembering that she wasn't _technically_ an only child. "Well, I have a half-brother and sister. But I've never met them."

"Oh so your Dad's still around?" Troy questioned. "I thought he was dead. Sorry, I wanted to know, I just didn't want to ask."

Gabriella smiled at this admission. "It's okay. No one ever wants to ask. But yeah, he's alive and thriving, living with his new wife and kids in Montana."

Troy could sense the bitterness in her tone. "Not exactly the loving father you expected, huh?"

"No, not at all!" She nearly shouted. "I didn't go to the wedding and I never met Owen and Maggie- my half-siblings. He calls once a week, trying to pretend he cares, but I just… I don't know. I don't want him to try, you know? He left us, not the other way around. And if he thinks he can just abandon us, then he shouldn't try to still be involved. You know what I'm saying?"

He nodded his understanding. "Of course. Since he left you guys, you probably expected him to never contact you ever again, right? And since he does he's sending you mixed messages- that he actually does care when you know he doesn't. In a sense, he's adding salt to the wound, right?"

Gabriella stared at him. She'd never spoken to anyone, except her mother, who'd completely understood this concept. "Yeah. That's exactly it."

Troy nodded again. "Sorry. That really does suck."

"Yeah, it did for a while," Gabriella admitted. "I was eleven when it happened, so I knew everything that was going on. But once we moved here, I kind of forgot about it and moved on. He just keeps reminding me with his annoying calls."

"Oh God, I know what you mean," Troy alleged earnestly. "When Abby-"

He stopped himself as Gabriella watched him expectantly. Shit. He really didn't want to bring up Abby. Here he was, twenty feet up in an oak tree with an amazing girl that just _understood_ him in more ways than Abby ever had, and still he had to bring her up. He hated the way his mind worked sometimes. It was obvious that Gabriella liked him- and maybe even as more than a friend, but he couldn't really tell just yet- and that was more than he got from Abby most of the time. Troy was so glad to have someone to talk to and not have Gabriella put down his every saying just as Abby was accustomed to.

It was normal conversation, something Troy wasn't used to, but he was enjoying it.

"N-Never mind." Troy said quickly after the pause, hoping Gabriella would ignore it, but knowing she would not. She was much too smart for that.

"Troy," She began hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Abby? Where did she go this summer?"

He was tempted to answer with a sarcastic comment as he had when Madison and his mother asked his this very same question. But he couldn't do that to Gabriella. She was too sweet and funny and nice… she didn't deserve the bitter, icy cold personality that was unleashed whenever someone questioned him about Abby. Instead, he tried to come up with an explanation for the day Abby left him on his front porch and drove off to an unknown destination, but came up with nothing. How could he tell Gabriella what was wrong with Abby when he didn't know himself?

"Honestly- and I'm not making this up- I really don't know," He sighed after a moment. "She came to my house a few weeks ago and told me she had to go away for the summer. I asked her where she was going and she wouldn't tell me."

"That's really strange," Gabriella remarked. "Have you talked to her since?"

He shook his head. "She hasn't called me. I called her twice but she didn't answer. I gave up."

Gabriella sat in silence as she contemplated what could be wrong with Abby. Troy spoke again softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "If she's going away for the whole summer… does that mean she's pregnant?"

Shocked, Gabriella didn't know how to respond. "Um… I don't know. It could. I mean, they used to send girls away when they got pregnant, but that was back in the sixties."

Troy glanced at Gabriella with a semi-pained expression. "We've never even had sex."

In total naïve fashion, she replied quickly with, "Well then it can't be that then, right?"

Troy sighed. "I guess not. I hope not."

She was still surprised that he felt comfortable enough to share that tidbit with her, and was thinking of this when he broke the silence once more. "Gabriella… can I tell you something?"

"Sure," She said immediately. "Anything."

"I think I'm going to break-up with Abby," He confided in her, the first person he'd told this to, and it felt so good to finally get it off his chest. "She's changed so much and I just can't keep up with her. It's kind of obvious she doesn't even like me anymore, isn't it?"

"Kind of." Gabriella admitted. "She doesn't seem to want to try anymore."

"Exactly! I don't know. It's just…" He trailed off for a moment before picking up again. "I'm going to be completely cheesy right now, so don't repeat anything I say to anyone."

Gabriella grinned. "Okay."

"You know how when you love someone, you're supposed to have this feeling of joy when they're with you?" Troy began to explain. "You heart's supposed to beat faster than normal, your stomach is supposed to be all butterfly-like, and you're just supposed to feel so… happy. Well, I don't think I've ever felt that way with Abby. And I definitely don't feel that way now. So does that mean I don't love her?"

She had to think this one over for a bit before she could answer. "Well I don't know Troy. There are different kinds of love. There's the way you love your friends, for starters. But that's just the friendly kind of love. They're there for you and they're fun to hang out with, but you don't _love_ them. Then there's the way you love your family, but it's just familial love. You respect them and they are always there to listen to and help you with your problems. But if you _loved_ them, it would be incest and that's illegal in many states, including this one."

Troy chuckled as Gabriella continued, happy to have produced a laugh from her friend. "And then there's the way you love your significant other; in this case, your girlfriend. That's the romantic kind of love. That's the love you just described. The feeling that you're walking on a cloud when you're with them, the happy fluttering feeling in your stomach, and just the overall sense that you're safe and secure as long as she's near."

"But you said yourself that you don't feel that. You've told me before that instead of this feeling, you just feel anxious when she's around you. The fluttering in your stomach is more a pit of doubt and annoyance. You said that instead of talking and laughing with Abby, all you do is fight and scream. If you ask me, I wouldn't call that love." Gabriella finished. "Call me crazy, Troy, but I don't think that's what love's supposed to feel like."

Troy smiled gratefully at her as her words played throughout his mind.

_Call me crazy, Troy, but I don't think that's what love's supposed to feel like._

He didn't think so either.


	4. In The Heat of the Night

**Ooh, this one is so intense! Hey guys! How are you all doing on this fine, fine day? I'm really proud of myself with this chapter, haha. It's pretty good, in my opinion. But I don't speak for you. So please read and please review! This one has some sad elements, some fun elements, some humorous elements, and then the shocking ending. I really hope you like it!! Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter!**

**Please read and enjoy!**

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Across A Minefield

Chapter Four: In the Heat of the Night

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**In the Heat of the Night-** An idiom used to express an action taken during a random burst of passion or excitement in an enjoyable or romantic setting. Example: Troy and Gabriella may have kissed under the starry moonlight that balmy summer evening, but they blamed it on **the heat of the night**.

**...............**

It's amazing how far children will go to impress their parents.

When a child gets a toy medical play set for Christmas, their first instinct is to play doctor and fix up everyone in the house. From that single moment of play, he parents assume their child is going to be a doctor. As he or she grows up, they're forced to watch hours of _House_ and _E.R._ and eventually shipped off to the best medical school in the country. While the parents are struggling with hefty tuition payments, the student graduates school with an extraordinary degree in medicine only to realize it isn't what they wanted to do with their lives. Suffocating from graduate school debt and asphyxiating loans, the child has to come to terms with what they're going to do with their life and, of course, risking excommunication from their parents.

Gabriella Montez had been suffering from this situation since birth.

Her parents had always encouraged her to do what she wanted to do, but they not-so-subtly let her know just _how_ she could fulfill that. Richard Montez- or Ricardo, depending on which persona he wanted to use per day- had wanted Gabriella to be an accountant, since she loved math and had a very practical mind for working out people's financial issues. Through the course of the eleven years he'd spent in her life, Richard bought Gabriella plastic cash registers, fake dollar bills and coins, and every fancy calculator that Texas Instrument could come up with. Gabriella tried to be interested in money- really, she _tried_. But that was the one reason she was relieved when her father left her and her mother. It meant the dreams of becoming an accountant had left too.

Her mother, on the other hand, was a different story. Maria Montez wanted nothing more than for her daughter to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor. When Gabriella was a child, she bought her all sorts of doctor-like play things; lab coats, plastic stethoscopes, fake bandages, and even a fully-equipped nylon first aid kit. Gabriella would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy bandaging up her dolls and stuffed animals, but she never really saw herself making a career out of her play. But the way her mother excitedly talked about med school and the different courses she would need to complete grad school made Gabriella feel guilty. She wasn't sure if she should follow her mother's heart… or her own.

To make her mother happy, however, Gabriella had been unofficially volunteering here and there at the hospital Maria worked at a few days a month. Maria had been delighted that Gabriella could volunteer even more frequently now that it was summer and schoolwork was not an issue, the possibility of Gabriella having a social life never occurring to her. Gabriella was happy to oblige and talk to and play with the children whose lives had become so limited over the past few months, however. It was always such a life-altering experience and it always made her count her blessings. She had never regretted volunteering and she had never forgotten her experiences with the children.

Walking into the Good Samaritan Hospital, Gabriella knew just where to go. She stepped into the elevator and rode to the third floor- the oncology and radiology unit. She greeted the receptionist warmly and stepped around the desk to the office, where they held scrubs and other equipment. Her mother was there already, talking animatedly with a few coworkers about a little boy's rare form of leukemia. Gabriella snapped her rubber gloves onto her hands and swung the protective mask around her hand, waiting for someone to notice her. Finally, Maria caught her out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, Gabby!" She grinned, despite her traumatizing workload. "You're finally here! How's everything lately? I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

"I know," Gabriella bit her lip. "But everything's good. Who am I visiting today?"

"Well Amanda's here today from ten to four, so if you want to stay from eleven to three, that would be great," Maria informed her daughter, speaking of the other volunteer Gabriella got along well with. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, Troy and I are going over to Chad's with Taylor to play some board games," She chuckled at the juvenile nature of their efforts. "It's going to be a good time."

"That sounds fun," Maria commented, a glint in her eye. "You and this Troy person have been getting awfully close, am I right? Do I know him?"

"Yeah, he was my partner for the English project this past year," She smiled, an obvious blush rising on her cheeks with the mention of her crush.

"Oh right, how could I forget?" Maria shook her head, grinning. "The one who liked the brownies?"

Gabriella giggled. "That's him. But we're not getting close _that_ way. He has a girlfriend still."

Maria seemed skeptical, but handed Gabriella her room assignments. "Whatever you say, whatever you say."

The sixteen-year-old girl snatched the loose leaf sheet of paper from her mother's grasp and set out down the hallway. Her first patient was a girl named Charlotte Cormier. She was six years old and had moved to New Mexico from Vancouver just two years earlier. For the past year and a half, she had been battling non-Hodgkin Lymphoma- the third most common cancer found in children- and, fortunately, was winning. Gabriella knocked on her hospital room door before entering to find six-year-old Charlotte seated on her bed facing the window, a package of Bendaroos open on her lap.

"Charlotte?" Gabriella called out and the little girl's head immediately snapped up, her eyes darting to meet this stranger's. "Hi! My name's Gabriella. I'm here to play with you for a little while."

Charlotte thought this over for a bit before smiling widely. "Yay! I'm so glad you're here! Wanna play with my Bendaroos?"

"Of course," She chuckled, pulling a chair over to the bed and picking up an unopened package of the bendy substance. "I've never played with these before."

"Oh they're really fun," Charlotte assured her. "Daddy got them for me for being good and taking chemo like a big girl."

Gabriella's heart gave a twinge at the mention of this little girl's chemotherapy, but she shrugged it off. "Wow, you must be very brave."

"Uh-huh. Dr. Caroline said that I'm doing so good that I get to go home soon because my NHL is almost gone!" She bounced excitedly, and then pointed towards her scalp, which was covered with a thin layer of peach-fuzz blonde hair. "And look! My hair's growing back!"

"That's so exciting!" Gabriella cheered. "High-five, girl!"

Charlotte obliged and burst into a fit of giggles. "Do you wanna see my family? Momma and Daddy are at work today and my brothers and sisters stay with my Grandma and Grandpa, but they come visit every night. I have a picture, wanna see?"

Gabriella nodded and Charlotte hopped off the bed to retrieve the picture plastered onto the wall by her bed. She was amazed at how much energy this little girl had and was thrilled to see her in such great spirits. "Okay see? That's my Momma and my Daddy back there. And there's me! Then my older brothers Mason and Avery, my older sister Julia, and my little sister Elise. That's my family!"

"That's a pretty big family," Gabriella remarked. "They look like they would be a lot of fun."

"They are." Charlotte stated simply, tossing the photograph aside. "I miss playing with them."

"Well don't worry, hun. You'll be playing with them really soon," Gabriella promised. "Now, let's play with some Bendaroos, huh?"

They built flowers, coils, and different kinds of animals with the waxy sticks and laughed at the randomness of their buildings. Gabriella had then focused on building and igloo by Charlotte's request while the young girl began constructing something much different. The next time Gabriella glanced up, she noticed a stick figure lying on a table that Charlotte was sliding into a small tube. "What's that, Char?"

"He's getting an MRI," Charlotte said as if it were obvious. "He has NHL just like me."

After her hour with Charlotte Cormier was over, Gabriella headed a few doors down the hallway to Jamie Wilkinson's room. Jamie Wilkinson was a nine-year-old African American boy fighting off acute lymphocytic leukemia and had just been diagnosed a month prior. The week before, he had undergone his first bout of chemotherapy treatment and had responded quite well. Gabriella peered into his room to find the young boy standing in front of the television, playing a game of Wii bowling.

"Hi Jamie," Gabriella greeted the boy. "My name's Gabriella and I'm visiting you for a little while. How are feeling today?"

He glanced over at her and smiled shyly. "I'm fine."

"That's good," Gabriella remained positive, even though it was clear Jamie wasn't going to be as easy to hang out with as Charlotte had been. "Wii Bowling? That's a fun game. Are you a good bowler?"

Jamie shrugged and uttered quietly, "I don't know."

Damn. This was harder than she thought. "Well, do you mind if I watch?"

He shook his head and continued bowling. Gabriella made a few comments here and there in his encouragement, but he remained coy and played as if she weren't in the room. Finally, after a moment of deafening silence, Jamie spoke up. "Do I have to talk about my cancer with you? Is that why you're here?"

Gabriella shook her head wildly. "Oh God, Jamie, no. I'm not a doctor; I'm just a kid, like you. I'm here today because I wanted to know if you needed someone to talk to and play with. We could do anything you wanted today, but no, we do not have to talk about your cancer."

"Good," He sighed in relief, shutting off the game console. "Because I hate talking about it."

She smiled warmly. "I'm sure you do."

After Jamie, Gabriella got a lunch break before moving on to her last patient of the day. Both Maria and Amanda had warned Gabriella that her next patient was _not_ a pleasant one- in more ways than one- but she entered the room open-minded. Giuliana Mancini was twelve-years-old and had just been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She was dying and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it. Gabriella took in a deep breath before greeting the girl, who sat in her hospital gown and bed, arms crossed over her flattened chest.

"Hi Giuliana, my name's Gabriella. How are you today?"

Giuliana's bright green eyes glanced over at Gabriella before narrowing. "Go away."

Gabriella had received this response before and knew that it was pent up anger over her sickness, not towards her. "If you'd let me, I'd like to try and be your friend. I understand you might have a few things to talk about."

"Get out of my room," Giuliana responded, scowling. "Leave me alone!"

"I don't want to leave you alone," Gabriella persisted. "I want to talk to you. What should we talk about? Movies? Matt Damon? Who do you think is cute?"

Giuliana frowned. "Does it really matter? I don't know if anyone told you, but I'm dying."

"They did tell me that," She swallowed past the lump in her throat, not knowing how long Giuliana had to live. "But I don't care about that. I don't want to talk about cancer. I want to talk about whatever you feel like talking about. Think of something."

Giuliana shot her a nasty glare and glanced away. Gabriella sighed, sitting down in the chair beside her bed. "School? We could talk about school. I mean, it's over, but we could still talk about it. What grade are you in? Seventh or eighth?"

The twelve-year-old ignored her and continued to glare daggers at the wall. Gabriella continued. "Giuliana, I know Amanda already gave up on you, but I'm not going to do that. I completely get that you're angry and upset. I would be too, if I were you. But you need to be positive. That's how you're going to get through this the easiest. Just try and think of something to take your mind off it."

More silence ensued. _Come on, Gabriella. You can do this. Make her talk and whatever you do, DO NOT give in_. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Giuliana's cheeks reddened but she still refused to answer. "I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to. It's a free country."

"Yes it is," Gabriella agreed. "But I believe you just did."

She huffed, crossing her arms back over her chest. "Whatever. You wanna talk? Let's talk. I hate my sister. There. I said it."

Gabriella was a bit taken aback, but in a deep, soothing tone she asked, "Why? Why do you hate your sister?"

"Because!" Giuliana shouted. "Because we're twins! Identical twins! Because when I die, my parents don't have to be sad because they'll still have Angelina! Because they won't be left without any children, they'll still have her! Because she gets to live and I have to die! Because we're identical twins and everything's supposed to be the same about us, but it's not because I have cancer _and she doesn't!_"

By this point, Giuliana was wailing but Gabriella was smiling triumphantly. Now we were getting somewhere…

* * *

Troy Bolton could not get Gabriella Montez out of his head.

It was the end of July, nearing August which meant the last month of summer. Troy didn't even want to think about going back to school and of course, the return of Abby. He and Gabriella had been friends before this summer of fun, of course, but they had never been as close as they were now. In fact, Troy couldn't remember what their relationship had been like before this summer. He was pretty sure it just consisted of hellos in the hallway and petty conversation in English class. Not much of a friendship, but it was a start.

Now, however, Gabriella was Troy's confidante. She had managed to learn everything about him in just a short span of time, and vice versa. Troy could write a novel about Gabriella, beginning with her childhood of pressure from her parents and ending with her first tree-climbing experience. He knew the most random facts about her- her favorite color was purple, she was allergic to shellfish, she never wore the color brown, she sang vintage Britney Spears hits in the shower, and she choked on a Life Saver when she was seven, just to name a few. Just thinking these things made him laugh and they would always fill him with an overwhelming sense of need to see her. Always.

When Troy was fourteen, he vowed to himself that he would never in a million years cheat on a girlfriend. It never seemed like that big of a deal for him until he saw the other side of the story. Madison's boyfriend at the time had cheated on her and for days she wouldn't emerge from her bedroom and the crying never ceased. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, and the horrific sight of his sister was enough to make Troy want to murder the boy who'd broken her heart. He wasn't going to cheat on anyone, anywhere, anytime- especially if the results looked like that.

Now, he realized, he seemed to be breaking his vow.

Never in his lifetime would Troy want to cheat on Abby. But he wanted to be with Gabriella so much that the end certainly justified the means… didn't it? He wasn't going to do. He wasn't. He was just so confused and just thinking about these things was making him want to jump off the Empire State building. Why did Abby have to go so far away, where no contact was permitted? He needed to break up with her and he needed to do it now. He needed to be free. He needed to be with Gabriella.

He needed advice. He needed Madison.

Troy ascended the stairs and headed down the hallway towards his older sister's bedroom slowly, pensively. What was he going to say when he asked for help? "Hey Madison, uh look. I don't want to cheat on Abby but I can't break up with her if she's not here and I want to be with Gabriella?" No, bad plan. He wasn't a bad person, truly he wasn't, but there would be a certain hell to pay if he thought he was getting out of this situation easily. Knocking on the door, Troy noticed Madison was seated in front of her computer screen, tapping at the keys to form some sort of message he couldn't make out.

"Hey Mad," Troy cleared his throat, leaning apprehensively against the doorway of the room. "Can I talk to you for a second? I need advice."

Madison Bolton was almost unapproachable. If there was one rule in the Bolton household- even though it was just _slightly_ unofficial- it was to not ever by any means upset Madison. Troy and Cody learned when they were much younger not to toy with their older sister's emotions. She was a ball of millions of raging emotions and you never knew which one she would throw at you next. One minute, you could be having a normal conversation with her and the next minute, she could be spitting obscenities in your face, cursing you out for disrupting her peace. Some might say she was bipolar, others, temperamental.

It was all up to interpretation, really.

Today, she seemed calm. "Oh yeah? Come on in; I'm all ears."

"Okay, see I have this friend," Troy started. "Who's dating this girl that went on vacation for two months. Now my friend doesn't want to be with this girl anymore- actually, he's found a new girl. But his girlfriend is off somewhere where no contact is allowed and he can't reach her. So he wants to move forward with the girl he likes, but that's like…"

"Cheating?" Madison supplied. "Yes, Troy. It is."

"Right." He winced. "So what should he do? Wait out the summer and risk losing the one he likes? Or…?"

"Okay first of all," Madison tucked her legs underneath herself before continuing. "This story's about you, isn't it?"

Troy glanced away, sheepishly. "Yeah…"

"Don't try to pull the sheet over my eyes, little bro. The cunning look doesn't suit you." She made a face. "Anyway, this is a really stupid thing to ask advice about. I'm pretty sure you know the answer."

"Wait it out?"

"Yes!" Madison laughed, though the situation hardly called for laughter. "This is such a guy's way of thinking. Troy, please put yourself in Abby's shoes. How would you feel if you came back and found out that you'd been cheated on?"

"In my defense, she wouldn't find out." Troy said and Madison burst into laughter again. "Seriously, Mad! I'm going to break up with her one way or another!"

"Whatever you say," Madison shook her head. "But do not, repeat _do not_, cheat on Abby. I know she's a bitch, but she doesn't deserve it. No one does."

"Okay." Troy nodded, truly taking her advice to heart. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Madison smiled. "But who's the girl?"

"What? No one."

"Oh sorry, was I being too general?" Madison apologized. "I'll retract. Who's the girl _or_ guy?"

"Ha, ha," Troy glared at her, retreating from her bedroom. "You're freakin' hilarious, Maddy. You really are."

* * *

"Okay, the word is 'Nasty,'" Taylor slapped the card down in front of her friends. "This is a good one."

Gabriella peered at all of her cards and tried hard to pick a good one. The foursome was in the middle of the sixth game of Apples to Apples, "the game of hilarious comparisons," or so claimed the box. It was actually a great game and a hysterical slew of answers had already been produced. Nasty- what did she have that went well with nasty? Finally, her eyes lit up and she dropped her card casually on top of the others, satisfied with her answer.

"Okay, everyone put theirs in?" Taylor asked and received three simultaneous nods. She picked up the three cards and placed them face down on the floor, reading them as she went. "Okay we have Truck Stops, which I would have to agree with."

"That was mine," Troy nodded, a grin on his face.

"Good one," Taylor commented. "We have… Eleanor Roosevelt?!"

"Mine," Chad grinned, but it dropped from his face when he caught of glimpse of Taylor's. "What?"

"She was one of the most influential women this planet has ever seen!"

"Yeah, but have you seen her face? She was ugly!"

"Ugh, Chad!" Taylor groaned. "I can't believe you would say that!"

"Uh, my card, please?" Gabriella put in. "Want to stop fighting for like two seconds?"

Taylor playfully glared at her best friend before slapping her card down on the floor- and then promptly bursting into laughter. "Toes?! Gabriella!"

"What? They stink!" She giggled. "That's the only card that even remotely made sense."

Taylor shook her head. "Sorry, I'm going to have to give this one to Troy. Nice work. Truck Stops are disgusting."

"Yes!" He pumped his fist in the air, collecting the game card from Taylor. "I believe I just won! Eight cards are in my possession!"

"You're such an obnoxious winner," Gabriella teased, nudging his shoulder. "Can't you just take the card quietly and move on?"

"You're just jealous," He sang out. "Because this is my fourth win- and we only played six games."

"Hey, I won once too," Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him. "If anyone's jealous, it's Chad. He lost all six games."

"Yeah, but he's taking it like a man." Troy grinned. "He's not making fun of my winning efforts."

Gabriella giggled again, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she realized how warm the room was getting. "Yeah, well-"

"God, will you just make out already?" Chad cut in, in frustration. "Seriously. The sexual tension! You could cut it with a knife."

Troy and Gabriella immediately leaned away from each other and didn't make eye contact for a few minutes. Once Taylor had the game packed away and a new one out, Gabriella chanced a look at Troy to find him watching her. He sent a wink her way and she blushed, looking away instantly. "Okay," Taylor smiled giddily. "You all know how to play Mad Gab, right?"

"Yeah, let's do this!" Chad clapped in anticipation. "I'm a word machine!"

Twenty-five minutes later, however, Gabriella was clearly in the lead. She pulled a card from the deck and read it to the group. "Gasp Earthy Fur End Lee Coast. Ooh, this one's a hard one."

"They've all been hard ones," Chad whined. "I thought I'd be good at this game. How can I not? It's not that hard!"

"Gasp-er Thee Fur-end-lee… Coast." Taylor tried to work it out but was failing. "Gas Perthy Fu Rend Leecoast…"

Suddenly, it dawned on Troy and he all but shouted, "Casper the friendly ghost!"

"Yeah! Good job!" Gabriella shrieked.

"Thanks," He smiled at her and they remained in their gaze for quite some time.

"R-right, it's… It's your turn, now." Gabriella stammered, turning away.

"Right," Troy snatched a card from the deck and cleared his throat. "Sock Herb Hauls."

After a beat, Chad jumped up, screaming, "Soccer balls! I got it! YES!"

Picking up the next card from the deck, Chad began to read. "May King Gout. Ooh! This one's easy. It's what Troy and Gabriella _should_ be doing."

"Making out!" Taylor shouted and Chad screamed, "Yes!" before kissing her on the cheek.

Gabriella bit her lip, not bothering to glance at Troy. "I'll be right back. I'm going to… get some air."

Down the hallway, Taylor's guest bedroom had a balcony attached that overlooked their backyard. Gabriella opened the French doors and stepped out onto the tile patio, immersing herself in the cool nighttime air and gazing up at the millions of stars that dotted the midnight sky. The moonlight fell upon her and illuminated the evening, making it visible to see the trees and the stars and only the trees and the stars. Nature was a beautiful thing, she decided. She didn't see enough of it. Inhaling the fresh breeze, Gabriella allowed her eyes to close as she imagined herself catapulting into the stars, with the galaxy as her parachute.

"Hey," A voice behind her called and she didn't have to turn to know it was Troy's. "Need a break from the madness?"

"Yeah," She admitted softly. "It was getting kind of… heated in there, if you know what I mean."

"I do," He took note of the double meaning of her phrase. "Does it… never mind."

"No, say it." Gabriella urged him quietly. "Tell me what you were going to say."

"I was just going to ask if it bothered you when Taylor and Chad perpetually talk about us making out." He sighed. "Just wondering, that's all."

"Well, not really," She told him truthfully. "It's not a completely far-fetched idea, seeing as how close we are. But they know nothing could ever happen as long as you're with Abby… right?"

The way she put this statement seemed to Troy like she was trying to convince him as well as herself. He stared at her for a long time before responding. "Right."

Then, in the heat of the night and with all passions raging and swirling around them, Troy ignored his sister's advice and Gabriella paid no attention to her better judgment. He crossed the balcony, closed the gap between their bodies and pressed his lips onto hers. Immediately, it felt like a million victory flags, fireworks, sparks, and all of those other clichéd terms described in romance novels. He was kissing her- he was _finally_ kissing her. Gabriella had to love the way his lips, so soft and warm, were moving against her own. It just felt so… _right_.

And then it felt oh so wrong.

As quickly as it had happened, the red-flags went up. Alarms rang off in their heads, their minds and consciences screaming at them to make the madness stop. They couldn't do this! This wasn't right! Troy and Gabriella pulled away from each other roughly, still reeling from the intensity of the kiss they would later blame on 'the heat of the night.' They stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, at each other for what seemed like hours. A million thoughts raced through their minds as the crisp summer air rushed around them, but their gaze never broke.

What were they doing?!


	5. A Day Late and A Dollar Short

**HEY! So... I'm really sorry that I'm a lazy ass and I can't get updates out to you guys on a regular basis. I honestly don't know why I can't do it, but when I get in the zone to write for "I'll Be There For You," I end up taking that story way too far and then I forget all about this one. And if you think that's bad, what ever happened to "Without A Trace?" Yeah, I don't know either. =P Anyway, thank you for sticking with me even though I can't update within a regular period. I love all of you!**

**Thanks for the reviews! The title is appropriate for my lack of updating skills hahaha.**

* * *

Across A Minefield

Chapter Five: A Day Late and a Dollar Short

**...............**

**A Day Late and a Dollar Sho****rt**- An idiom used to simply express that something is too little, too late. Example: Troy and Gabriella did everything they could to try and make their situation less awkward, as if they'd never kissed, but they were simply **a day late and a dollar short**.

**...............**

_What were they doing?!_

They still didn't know. They must've been standing there, mouths agape, for the past twenty minutes and they still didn't have an answer. Blue eyes were locked on brown as they searched for a solution to their still unanswered question, millions of thoughts and feelings rushing around their bodies with the swirling nighttime air. How could they have even let this happen? Weren't they more responsible than this? It was difficult to believe that they had wanted this to happen- they had, hadn't they? Or else it wouldn't have occurred. But still, whether they wanted it or not, it was still _wrong_.

Oh, so wrong.

Troy wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment. He was in a whirlwind of confusion, with emotions ranging from sheer unadulterated bliss to intense agony and remorse. He'd wanted to kiss Gabriella for a long time and yet, he knew he shouldn't have done it. She was just so beautiful; her eyes a deep ebony color, her lips full and heart-shaped, her long hair cascading down the deep ridges of her spine. He'd never seen someone so gorgeous and yet so dangerous; he knew getting involved with Gabriella was like taking a bite of the poison apple. Once he kissed her, he knew he'd fall deep under her spell. But honestly, he wasn't sure if he minded that little detail.

And then there was Abby. This is where the confusion of emotions set in. Abby was a pain in the ass, he believed. They fought nonstop, they badmouthed each other behind each other's backs, and there were many bitter conversations between them that induced tears. But still… Abby was his girlfriend and he had made a promise to her and to himself that he would never betray her, no matter what. He wasn't that kind of person, he let her know, and her tried with some difficulty to believe that himself.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

Gabriella on the other hand knew exactly what she was feeling and it was making it hard to breathe. It felt like her world was closing in on her. It felt like she was slowly drowning and a piercing liquid was filling her lungs. It felt like two hundred pounds of guilt was resting on her chest, cutting off her air supply as she struggled to catch her breath. She couldn't believe they had actually done this. When had she become the kind of person who would kiss other girls' boyfriends? When had she become "the other woman"?

And then there was Abby. The only reason Gabriella knew anything about Abby was because of the things Troy told her. But besides all of the negative things, Gabriella knew there were a few positives he was choosing to keep out. Abby was strong, both physically and emotionally, and had many friends from her natural outgoing nature. She was usually easy to get along with, as long as she got her way, and she was very smart. Gabriella knew this from her previous school year's pre-calculus class, which Abby was in, though the girls never spoke. She was a typical everyday normal teenager who would have her heart broken if she ever found out about their situation.

Gabriella had to get out of there.

"Oh my God…" She gasped out, the first words spoken since their embrace. "I-I-I have to go."

Troy snapped to his sense as he watched her retreating figure scramble towards the door of the balcony. He reached out and caught her arm, spinning her back towards him. "Wait! Gabriella!"

She glanced away from him, avoiding his gaze. "No, I really… I really should go. I'll talk… We'll talk eventually. I…I-I don't want anything weird and… I-I gotta go."

"Gabriella, listen to me!" He shouted desperately, but she wouldn't look at him and it hurt to acknowledge why. "Just please, listen!"

"No, I can't. I… I really do have to go." She pleaded with him, writhing out of his grasp and stepping away. "It's getting late and… I'm sorry."

Troy shot her a questioning glance. "You're sorry? Sorry for what?"

Her deep brown eyes finally lifted to meet his and she immediately regretted it. "I'm really sorry this happened. I'm sorry I made you cheat on Abby and… and I… I'm really sorry. It's all my fault."

"No, it's not. It's not." Troy repeated over and over, trying to convince her that he was not blaming her in any way, but failing miserably. "Gabriella, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have… We shouldn't… It's not your fault."

"Troy, it is," Her heart broke over the words as she silently stepped over the threshold and back into the house. "It is and I'm really sorry. I hope you don't hate me for this and… I have to go."

"Gabriella!" Troy called, but she refused to turn around. He watched her nearly fly down the stairs of Taylor's house and out the front door. He heaved a sigh and walked back down the hall towards Taylor's room to let his friends know he was leaving for the night. After their little fiasco, there wasn't any way he was up for more party games. The look on his face stopped the conversation in the room and Taylor immediately expressed her concern.

"Troy, are you alright? You look awful."

"Yeah, I'm fine," He forced a smile. "Gabriella had to get going home because it's getting late and I think I'm going to head out also."

"Oh really?" Chad seemed disappointed and Taylor had to laugh. "What? We were just getting started!"

"Aw it's okay," She cooed teasingly. "I know a lot of two-player games we can play, if you know what I mean."

It was a simple, pathetic attempt at suggesting a make-out session, but it only evoked a painful memory for Troy. He turned around angrily and without a word left Taylor's house. The two friends left behind shared a confused glance as Chad spoke up. "You think something happened between them?"

"You're new at this, aren't you?" Taylor rolled her eyes, a concerned look gracing her features. "Something _definitely_ happened between them."

Chad, after a moment, then asked, "Is that a good thing?"

"Judging by the look on Troy's face," Taylor sighed. "I'd say probably not."

* * *

Troy trudged up the carpeted stairway of his home in deep thought and contemplation. He cared so much about Gabriella and knowing he'd hurt her by acting on his feelings nearly killed him. But then again, he'd be lying if he said he didn't care about Abby too. He didn't love her, that he was sure of, but at one point he was so close with Abby he knew that he truly cared for her. That was his biggest problem. He cared about _both_ of them- but in two completely different ways, mind you. He cared about Abby like one would care about their best friend. He didn't want to see her get hurt and would seriously injure whoever hurt her.

But the way he cared about Gabriella could develop into something more.

When he looked into the future, he didn't see himself with Abby. Troy wasn't sure if he saw himself with Gabriella either, but he knew that there was a definite possibility of it. He sincerely cared for her and had this deep connection with her, this feeling of happiness and pride whenever he was around her. He felt safe, secure, and, as cliché as it sounded, just simply peaceful. It struck him as odd when he realized the feeling he felt with Gabriella slightly resembled her definition of love, when he himself wasn't even sure what love was. She'd sounded so sure of herself when she told him everyone was destined to find the one person that would complete them, that they were to love unconditionally forever. Troy, unknowingly, believed her.

Had they found it in each other?

Passing by Madison's bedroom, Troy decided to give his sister hell for the shoddy advice she'd given him earlier on that afternoon. Knocking on the door in an animalistic manner, Troy waited for her to appear in her the doorway of the room. He knew she'd be upset and cranky that someone had disrupted her precious slumber, but Troy was seething and he knew if he didn't talk about it with someone, he would end up putting a hole through his bedroom wall. And why punish the wall when he could punish Madison instead?

As expected, nineteen-year-old Madison Bolton yanked her bedroom door open and glared at her brother with a menacing scowl. She was dressed in a simple white tank top and purple flannel shorts, a little rumpled from her bed. Her eyes were still glazed over with sleep and her hair was mussed slightly, resting on her shoulders. With a yawn and a glance over her shoulder to check the clock- and of course, the groan when she realized it was after midnight- Madison shot her younger brother a pointed stare, inquiring what on Earth he could possibly want at this time of night. "Are you going to say anything, or are you just going to stand there?"

"I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to _kill_ you," Troy began, careful not to raise his voice above a whisper, so as not to wake his sleeping parents or brother.

Madison rolled her eyes, used to this kind of talk. "What for, now Troy? Did I eat your last Popsicle? Or leave my flat iron on the bathroom counter again?"

"No," He took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging emotions. "You gave me the worst freaking advice ever!"

"When did I give you advice?" Madison questioned, emitting another yawn. "I don't recall."

"This afternoon, when I came to you about Abby."

"Oh yeah, that." She sighed. "Oh well, what are you going to do? I'm majoring in Pre-Law, Troy, not psychiatry. I'm simply not authorized to administer advice. You should've known that."

"Mad, who else was I supposed to ask?" Troy nearly screamed, getting angry all over again. "Mom and Dad would've given me some shit about celibacy, Chad would've laughed in my face, and Cody? He would've told me to kiss Gabriella, because in sixth grade it's cooler to have two girlfriends than none at all."

"Wait, you kissed her?" Madison stopped him. "And Gabriella's her name? Huh, that's exotic."

"Please try to stay focused," Troy deadpanned and received a glower from his sister. "Yes, I kissed her. Because _your_ advice sucks!"

"Hold on, hold on," Madison was now finding humor in the situation. "You didn't follow my advice?"

"Clearly, no."

"And you're mad at me?" She chuckled slightly as Troy nodded. "You're mad at me because _you_ didn't follow my advice? Doesn't that seem a bit backwards?"

Troy didn't answer, watching Madison figure this out. "Troy, if you didn't stick to my advice, it's not my fault. I told you not to kiss her and you did. What do you want me to do about that?"

"Admit it's your fault!"

"But it's not. And you're not mad at me." Madison told him, stepping back into her bedroom and placing a hand on the door. "You're mad at yourself."

With that, she closed the door, leaving Troy alone in the hallway of their home to ponder over what she'd just said. _You're not mad at me, you're mad at yourself_. Was this really true? Was all of this pent-up anger over the situation with Gabriella really directed towards himself and not towards anyone else? Truthfully, yes, he was angry with himself with letting it happen. He always prided himself with being so controlled in all situations and he was now irritated that there had been a position that had spiraled so far out of his control. He was annoyed that he had somehow figured out a way to hurt Abby, Gabriella, and himself all in one occurrence. And he was overwhelmed with guilt from not knowing how to solve any of it.

It wasn't Madison's fault. It was his own.

* * *

It was August fifteenth. Officially sixteen days since she'd last spoken to him.

Gabriella hadn't spoken to Troy since their kiss over two weeks ago and she was getting increasingly lonely and anxious. She missed hanging out with him, talking about senior year and their futures together, and all around just being in his presence. Troy had quickly become one of her best friends and she was suffering without him. Taylor and her mother could both tell how much she missed being with Troy, but of course, Gabriella was much too stubborn to admit this herself.

That day, after volunteering at the hospital all morning and hanging out with Giuliana Mancini in the afternoon, Gabriella decided to go out for ice cream with her coworker Amanda. Amanda was a year older than Gabriella and would be heading off for college in just a week, so the girls decided to go out for ice cream to catch up on girly talk before she moved away. It was another oppressively hot day, so the cool treat would feel good to the girls who spent their whole day in a stuffy hospital.

"So I have no idea what you did," Amanda shook her head unbelievably as the two girls walked up the sidewalk towards the ice cream parlor. "But Giuliana Mancini _adores_ you. How'd you break her shell? Seriously, I thought she was going to come at me with a knife."

"Well I don't know," Gabriella smiled. "But after our first visit, she completely opened up to me, and now we're pretty close."

"That's amazing," Amanda sighed, truly awed. "I can't believe she told you what's been bothering her."

"Yeah, well…" Gabriella bit her lip. "It was a bit shocking, but I'm sure I'd feel that way too if I was in her place."

"That's great. Really, it is."

After a short silence, Gabriella brought up the next topic. "Hey, have you finished packing yet?"

"Ugh, no. I have _so_ much left to do." Amanda groaned, and then with a pout added, "And Jordan's leaving tomorrow."

Jordan was Amanda's boyfriend, and Gabriella knew she had been lamenting this for weeks. "Aw, I'm sorry."

"Me too!" She sighed. "I don't know how we're going to do this. I mean, he'll be in Miami, I'll be in L.A… it'll be interesting, that's for sure."

"Yeah, but long distance relationships work out if you really want them to," Gabriella tried to be helpful. "I mean, you'll have to work at it."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before." Then Amanda grinned mischievously. "How are things with you and your guy?"

"Mandy, I don't have 'a guy.' He's just a really good friend." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago," Amanda waved it off. "He has to have become your boyfriend by now."

"No, actually, he hasn't. He has a girlfriend." Gabriella said pointedly. "So… that's how that goes."

"Aw, but I'm sure he really likes you."

"Yeah, me too," She mumbled. "Especially since he kissed me."

"He kissed you?!" Amanda shouted in shock. "Wow. Quite the scandal."

"I know and we haven't spoken since," Gabriella bit her lip, regretfully. "It's not fair. It's all my fault."

"Gabby, it takes two people to kiss." Amanda laughed as they approached the ice cream parlor. "It isn't all your fault."

"But it feels like it is," She sighed. "And-"

The words died on her lips as she watched a sleek blue Ford Fusion pull up to the curb in front of the ice cream parlor. Gabriella knew that car. Three younger boys climbed out of the backseat as the driver began to open the car door. She knew that driver, too. Troy handed a few dollar bills to one of the younger boys and bid them farewell, before turning to notice that Gabriella was standing just a few feet away. Their eyes locked in an intense gaze and Amanda took note of the change in her friend.

"Gabriella, is that him?"

All she could do was nod. "Yeah. What's he doing here?"

"Probably getting ice cream like the rest of the people here," Amanda teased. "Go talk to him. I'll get us a table inside."

The older girl disappeared as Troy began to walk closer to Gabriella. He greeted her with a small smile. "Hey."

"Hi," Gabriella smiled in return. "How are you?"

"Good, good," Troy nodded. "Just playing chauffeur to my brother and his friends. You?"

"I'm alright," She informed him. "I was at the hospital all day, so… yeah. Now Amanda and I are gonna get some ice cream."

"Oh that's good," Troy told her. "It's really hot out."

"Yeah. It is."

It was simple small talk but it was killing both of them. All they wanted to do was be able to go back to their previous relationship, before all of the drama and the kiss. Troy sighed heavily. "Gabriella, I miss you."

She was glad he made the first move because, honestly, she wasn't sure she could've done it. "I miss you too. I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, it really is my fault," Troy confessed. "I shouldn't have… done it. Especially with Abby and everything. I don't know where it came from."

As much as it hurt her to acknowledge it, since attention from Troy was all she ever wanted, she knew he was right. "No, you probably shouldn't have done it, but I didn't stop you… so it's my fault too."

"Okay, but it's still my fault." Troy said sincerely, glancing at the ground.

"No, it's mine, I swear." Gabriella assured him.

"Are we seriously going to argue over this?" He teased her and she giggled, nodding.

"Looks like it."

"Okay, it's my fault and yours," Troy decided. "Let's just pretend it didn't happen, okay?"

"Done." Gabriella nodded, the smile growing wider on her face. "Well, I have to go meet Amanda inside before she blows a gasket. Do you want to hang out later?"

"Yeah," Troy grinned. "My place?"

"Okay," She agreed. "Text me later and let me know what time."

"I will," He promised as she walked away, reaching into his jeans pocket to clutch his cell phone. "I will."

* * *

The rest of the summer passed by quite smoothly and much too quickly for the teenagers' liking. Since Troy and Gabriella had reconciled, they spent nearly every waking minute together either alone or with Taylor and Chad. Together, they watched summer fade into the early throes of fall as August came to a close and September began. Now, school began in just a week and a half and it was hard to believe that in just ten very short months, they would be graduating from high school and moving on with their lives.

Scary, wasn't it?

On September second, Troy took the short walk to his mailbox in the early afternoon to retrieve the mail. Madison had already gone back to school and his mother was at the office all day working on cases. His father was at the school in a meeting with the athletic department, so it was just Troy and Cody at home for the day. As Troy rifled through the envelopes in his grasp, he noticed an envelope from East High School addressed to himself and he dreaded opening it.

It was schedule for the upcoming year, signifying that the year truly was beginning.

There was one from the middle school for Cody as well and Troy plopped the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter for his parents when they arrived home. "Cody! Schedule's here!"

"Yippee," Cody deadpanned, trudging into the kitchen to retrieve his mail. "Like I care. I don't want to go to middle school."

"Well suck it up," Troy told his younger brother, sliding his finger underneath the envelope flap. "You have too."

His cell phone rang into the conversation and Troy jumped to pick it up, assuming it to be Chad, wanting to shoot hoops. "Hello?"

He was wrong. It was Gabriella. "_Hey! Did you get your schedule?_"

"Gab, why are you so excited about this?" Troy groaned. "You and Taylor are the only two people on the planet who are ecstatic that school is starting."

"_Wrong. Martha and Kelsi are excited too._"

"Fine, you win."

"_Anyway, you didn't answer my question. We need to compare schedules and see if we have any classes together. Let's hope for English again, right?_"

"Well, yes I did get my schedule, but you're taking AP English and I'm not, so we won't have that together." Troy chuckled, looking over his schedule for the first time. "Okay, what do you have first period?"

"_Free period! I'm thinking late arrival. You?_"

"Lucky," He told her. "I have gym. What about second period?"

"_Calculus_."

"I have Economics," Troy notified her and then made a face. "Calculus? Ew."

"_What? I like math! Are you taking math this year?_"

"Yeah, I'm in pre-calc. But it's going to suck because I hate math." He complained. "How can you like it?"

"_Hmm… should I give you the _Mean Girls_ answer? 'Because it's the same in every country?'_"

Troy laughed. "No, because you've never lived in another country."

Her giggle emanated throughout the phone line. "_That's true. Anyway, I have AP English third. But you don't. Why didn't you take AP? I heard it's easy._"

"Because honestly, I have no interest in taking another College Board exam ever again," Troy told her. "Seriously. I have Spanish that period. Fourth period?"

"_French. You?_"

"That's when I have English. I'm taking American Classic Literature."

Gabriella was silent on the other line. "_Oh Troy… you should've taken AP._"

"Why? Does American Classic Lit suck?" He asked. "I thought it would be easy…"

"_Good luck is all I can say. What about fifth period? I have lunch._"

"Me too," He grinned. "Sixth?"

"_My elective period. I'm taking Early Childhood Education with Kelsi. Easy A._"

"I have Sports Marketing. Seventh?"

"_AP Physics, with lab eighth period. You?_"

"Me too," Troy informed her. "I decided to challenge myself this year."

"_Good! We'll have that together. And you should challenge yourself. Regular Physics is much too easy_."

"Ninth period I have free," He cheered. "Early dismissal, here I come!"

She laughed as she told him, "_I have Economics ninth. What an awful way to end the day._"

"Tell me about it," Troy agreed. "Well, at least we have lunch and Physics together."

"_Yeah, that's awesome. Oh, Taylor wanted me to let you know that we're meeting for the movie tomorrow night at seven. We'll probably get something to eat before, though. Or maybe after. I don't know._"

"You guys are great planners," Troy teased and Gabriella scoffed.

"_Oh, like you and Chad are much better? Need I bring up the laser tag incident?_"

"No, no, that's fine." He grimaced. Okay, so planning was _not_ his strong point either. So what?

The doorbell rang once and then twice, and Cody clearly was not going to answer it. Troy groaned and turned back to his phone call. "Okay, I gotta answer the door because Cody's being an ass. See you tomorrow?"

"_Okay, that's fine. I'm going to call Taylor anyway. See you then!_"

Troy pressed the call end button on his cell phone and slid the device into his pocket. The doorbell rang a third time and he shouted that he was coming before jogging down the hallway and into the open foyer. It was probably the UPS or Fed-Ex man, delivering a package for his mother that he had to sign. That's what it always seemed to be anyway. Unlocking the door, Troy tried to figure out what the package could possibly be. It _was_ almost his birthday, so maybe his parents had gotten a head start on shopping? He figured that was highly unreasonable, but still a bit possible. Yanking the door open, Troy nearly had a heart attack when he discovered the shock of his life.

It was not the UPS man or the Fed-Ex deliverer.

It was Abby.

Abby Miller was standing on his front doorstep, dressed in a dirty pair of jean shorts and a hooded sweatshirt. Her flip-flops looked like they were once white, but had been dragged through the mud several times. Her gorgeous, mile-long blonde hair was now cut short, to her shoulders or a bit higher, Troy couldn't tell. She was pale and her eyes looked sunken and gray, not the usual bright green hue he was accustomed to, and she looked as though she hadn't slept in years. What's more, her normally muscular legs were now thin and scrawny from months of lack of stimulation. She stared back at him with a dull glare, her face blank, her mouth halfway drawn between a smile and a frown.

This wasn't Abby. It couldn't be.

And yet, it was.

"Ab… Abby?" Troy spoke first, ushering her to come in the house and closing the door behind her. "Hi. What… What are you doing here?"

"Oh I don't know, I thought I'd come over for a cup of coffee," She shot back sarcastically. "What do you think I'm doing here? I came to see you."

"Well okay, Abby. How in hell to you expect me to respond when you show up on my doorstep after two and a half months of being away?" Troy's eyes narrowed. "You never even told me where you were going!"

At the mention of where she'd been, Abby drew back as if she'd been slapped, when really, she was the one who started the argument in the first place. She replaced her sarcastic grin with a forlorn frown as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "We need to talk, Troy."

"Yes, we do." He agreed and fully intended on breaking up with her right there on the spot. She wouldn't mind, would she? He hoped she wouldn't break down into tears and bewail their broken relationship, but Troy just couldn't take it anymore. "I've been doing a lot of thinking while you were gone."

"I have too," She sighed. "And… I really have to tell you something."

"Me too," Troy drew in a deep breath and then promptly chickened out. "But you can go first."

Nervously, Abby shook her head. "No, it's okay. You go."

After a long moment of silence, with neither of the two expressing their feelings, Troy made a decision. "Look, why don't we try saying it at the same time?"

"Okay," Abby agreed. "On the count of three."

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three..."

"I'm breaking up with you." Troy exhaled.

"I want to break up." Abby spit out at the exact same time.

For a moment, neither one said anything. After, however, Abby looked shocked. "What?"

"What?" Troy reacted. "_You_ want to break up with me?"

"Like you should be talking," She scowled. "_You_ want to break up with _me_?!"

"Well it's not working out, Ab!" He shouted. "You know that!"

Abby's eyes swelled with tears. "Oh my God, I get it."

"You get what?"

"I know what you want to break up with me," She laughed bitterly. "You want to break up with me so _you_ can feel better, right? So that you can find a new girlfriend and be happy?"

"Abby, if we break up, you can do that stuff too." He shook his head, disagreeing with her statement. "You can find a new boyfriend. One who isn't me."

Abby stared at him for a long time before shaking her head violently. "You're so selfish, Troy."

"I'm selfish?" Troy questioned rhetorically. "Okay, okay. Fine. Why are _you_ breaking up with me, then? Let's hear your 'selfless' reason!"

"Well for one thing, I'm not breaking up with you for me," She began as Troy scoffed in disbelief. "I'm breaking up with you for you. So you can move on and forget about me."

"That's pretty much exactly what I just said." Troy said, but Abby ignored him, a tear dripping down her cheeks as she stared at the ground.

"I'm breaking up with you so you don't have to hurt," Abby sniffled. "So you don't have to feel the pain when…"

Troy stared at her. "Abby, what are you talking about?"

Abby glanced up at him, unshed tears glistening in her dull, gray-green eyes. "I have cancer, Troy. I'm dying."


	6. Behind the Eight Ball

**I DID IT! I finally, finally did it! Aren't you so proud of me? Hahaha. No, you're probably pissed at me, aren't you? Well you have every right to be. I am so SOOOO sorry that I'm a lazy-ass and I can't get chapters out within a reasonable period of time. I could give you the excuse that I was accepted into more colleges and have been looking at them and suffering through an AP English research paper, but I don't think you guys like excuses very much. =) So thank you a million times over for the reviews and I'm extremely sorry this is over two months late.**

**Please enjoy and I don't own High School Musical and all that other jazz. =D**

* * *

Across A Minefield

Chapter Six: Behind the Eight Ball

**...............**

**Behind the Eight Ball-**An idiom used to express a difficult situation from which one is very unlikely to escape. Example: Though Troy cared deeply for both Gabriella and Abby, there was no clear-cut decision that made sense for him to make; thus, he found himself **behind the eight ball**.

...............

In times of utter shock and confusion, Troy Bolton did one of two things.

Either he drove himself to near insanity with his own thoughts, questions, and impossible answers, or he simply just drove.

At this precise moment in time, he was doing both.

It had taken Abby Miller two hours, forty-seven minutes, and fifteen seconds to explain where she'd been the entire summer and just how the doctors had come to their diagnosis. Troy knew, because he counted every single one. It all made sense now; the paleness of her face, the sunken look of her eyes, the bruise on Abby's stomach from an unknown cause- the reason she winced every time he touched her. It was why she was losing weight, it was why she was so out of breath by just walking a few steps, and it was why she had to leave for the summer, to visit Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for cancer treatment.

That is, until the doctors and specialists realized there wasn't much they could do.

It still hadn't sunken in for Troy. Here was a girl he'd dated for almost two years, a girl that just days ago he had been so set on breaking up with, a girl he knew nearly as well as he knew himself. Abby had entered his life almost by accident but she had changed him- although he couldn't say it was for the better. His entire relationship with her had been a mass of confusion that he would _love_ to rid himself of. But how could he break up with her now without feeling an irrevocable amount of guilt?

Above everything he'd learned that afternoon, the one thing that stuck with him was the look on Abby's face as she spoke of her disease. The calm tone of her voice and the look of utter seriousness on her face scared Troy more than the concept of her death did. Other than the glassy sheen of her eyes, Abby did not break down and beg for support. She did not curse her life or her diagnosis, or even beg for God to take it back, like some may have done. Abby was not afraid; her voice did not shake as she explained the finer details to Troy and her eyes did not read pain or fear. How Abby could speak of all of this without fear was beyond his knowledge and expectations.

He hadn't told anyone what was going on or where he was going when Abby left that afternoon. Troy moved silently through the house, picking up his wallet and keys before moving outside and climbing into his car. He sat idling in the driveway for a good twenty minutes, contemplating what he was going to do with the predicament he'd gotten himself into before driving off, blasting the radio and taking right and left turns every so often. He didn't know where he was going, or if he was going anywhere, but he knew he just had to get out.

As the smooth Ford Fusion tooled down the roads of Albuquerque, Troy's ringtone broke the comfortable atmosphere Troy had set up. Glancing down momentarily at the passenger's seat where the electronic device was resting, he frowned at the name that flashed on the screen. _Chad_. Troy really didn't feel like talking right now, especially not to Chad. But as he expected, his best friend did not give up and continued to call him, expecting an answer. Reaching down, Troy answered the phone and prayed the conversation would not last long.

"What?"

"_Whoa, watch those silver bullets, hoops. You get your schedule today?_"

"Yeah, why?"

"_Wanted to compare. You alright, man? You sound anxious or something_."

Troy exhaled heavily, making a left-hand turn. "Abby's back."

"_No shit? Did she give you an explanation or something? Did you ask her why she's been gone all summer?_"

"Yeah," He drew in a slow breath. "We had an argument within the first few minutes of her being at my place. She got mad and yelled, I got mad and yelled… She looked so upset and so sick over it."

"_Typical. Abby's got a stick up her ass_."

"No. Abby doesn't have a stick up her ass," Troy stated forcefully, his grasp tightening on the steering wheel. "Abby has acute myelogenous leukemia."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "…_What?!_"

"I have to go. I'm driving." He said tersely before hanging up and throwing his phone down against the car floor. He spotted a sign up ahead and quickly flicked on his directional before making a sharp right turn.

Somehow, as it had happened so often this summer, he ended up at Gabriella's house.

Troy noted that there was only one car in the driveway- the sleek silver Hyundai her father sent her for her birthday, about six months too late- and found himself relieved that her mother was working, though he was sure she felt the opposite. He took in a deep breath, still believing he didn't feel like speaking, before climbing out of the car and walking up to her front door. He just wanted to think about something other than Abby and cancer. All he wanted to do was talk to Gabriella and feel normal for just a mere second, because honestly, that's how she always made him feel.

It took her only seconds to answer the door. "Troy? Hi, what's going on?"

She looked absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a simple pair of cut-off jean shorts that revealed her long, toned and tanned legs. Her toenails were painted in a bright yellow, an electric lemon color and adorned with white daisies he knew she and Taylor had done themselves. A simple white tank-top clothed her upper half and her hair was parted over her left eye, her bangs sweeping to the right as the rest of her deep ebony curls were tied off on her right shoulder. She had a look of utter peacefulness in her eyes and a bright smile on her face.

God, she was so beautiful, and Troy had to wonder how he hadn't noticed Gabriella before he met Abby.

"Troy," She instigated again. "Are you alright?"

Suddenly, all feelings of fear and anxiety over talking about Abby and cancer melted away. Just glancing at Gabriella made him want to do nothing but talk for hours upon end. "I'm fine, I just… Could I talk to you for a minute?"

She shot him an odd glance and stepped away from the threshold, allowing him to enter the house. "Sure, come on in."

He stepped into the house that smelled of lemon and sugar- an explosion of sour sweetness. "You could've called you know," She teased, walking before him and deeper into the house. "You didn't have to make a house call, Mr. Bingley."

He glanced at her in confusion. "What?"

"Mr. Bingley from _Pride and Prejudice_? We read it last year, remember?" She furthered her explanation. "They didn't have telephones in the 1700s so every time he wanted to visit Jane he made a house call."

"Oh," He said slowly. "I guess I forgot about that one."

Gabriella shook her head, a smile on her face as they made it into the kitchen. "Sorry about the really intense lemon smell. I'm making lemon bars for my Mom's work party tonight. She's obviously working so she can't do it."

"No, they smell good, actually." He told her honestly as she began to cut the massive yellow bar into smaller squares.

"Do you want one? I made four batches."

"No thanks," He smiled half-heartedly. "I don't think I can eat. Gabriella, I really have to talk to you."

She immediately set down the knife and licked a splatter of confectioner's sugar off her index finger. She motioned for him to follow her into the living room, which was spacious and heavily decorated with lavish furniture, and they sat down on the leather couch. "You sound serious. What's wrong?"

"I don't even know where to start," He sighed. "Abby's back."

"Oh," Gabriella tried not to sound disappointed. _Tried_ being the key word here. "Well that's good. How… How is she? How does she look?"

"Honestly? Awful, to both questions." He answered. "Gab, she has acute myelogenous leukemia. Abby's dying and… she didn't even tell me."

Gabriella stared at him, her eyes widening as this shocking information was presented to her. Abby and cancer were two words that just didn't mesh. It was like mixing chocolate and lemonade or orange juice and toothpaste. Abby was much too strong to let her body succumb to cancer. But, as the daughter of a pediatric radiologist, she knew that AML was a very fast-growing blood and bone-marrow cancer and if not caught early, there was merely nothing a doctor could do. Strength or not, Abby was set up for the fight of her life.

Literally.

"Oh my God," She finally uttered. "That's horrible. What are they going to do?"

"I don't know," Troy sounded desperate. "She was in New Hampshire this summer for treatment. They started her on radiation treatments for a few weeks, but that made it worse, so they gave her a few rounds of chemo. But after that, after it seemed like she was getting better, they told her she was in stage four. What does that even mean? How many stages are there?"

Gabriella bit her lip. "There are only four stages, Troy. Basically… you don't want to be in stage four."

"So…" He glanced up at her. "She's going to die, isn't she?"

She couldn't look at him and the way she diverted their gaze told Troy all he needed to know. "Oh God…"

He slumped down in his seat and threw his head back against the couch, covering his face with his hands as Gabriella watched helplessly. The incredible guilt she felt was worsened every time she looked at him and it was almost heartbreaking to see him so upset. Not only had she kissed him when he had a girlfriend, but now, his girlfriend was dying. Gabriella was sure she was going to hell for this. After a long moment of silence, Troy exhaled and glanced over at her with a pleading expression.

"Tell me everything you know about AML."

Her eyes met his and she immediately shook her head, unable to cause any more pain within him. "I-I really don't know that much about it-"

"Gabriella," He took one of her hands in his own. "You do. I _know_ you do. Please, I need to know what this is."

She squeezed his hand and let out a breath. "Well first of all, it's a fast-growing blood and bone marrow cancer. It's typically found in adults and it's really rare in kids. It's hard to detect in children because the symptoms are associated with different kinds of infections. But usually a person has shortness of breath, loss of pallor in the face, they get fatigued easily, and they usually bruise pretty easily too."

"Abby had all of that," Troy stated quietly. "Go on."

"Um…" She wracked her brain for more information. "Treatment has to be done early because if they catch it too late, there isn't anything they can do. But usually radiation or chemotherapy helps. The death rate is pretty low in adults because it's so common, but it's really high in children because it's so rare."

"Great," Troy droned sarcastically. "So she's basically screwed?"

"Well if she continues treatment, she might have a fighting chance." Gabriella told him, though she knew it was highly unlikely.

"She'll make it." He told himself. "She's strong. And she's not even scared."

"But how are _you_, Troy?" She asked tenderly. "Because you seem really out of it."

"Honestly? I don't really know," Troy admitted. "I feel awful for Abby and scared for her, even if she's not feeling it. But I still don't love her… and I feel like a jerk for saying that."

"You're not," She assured him softly. "You're just honest."

Conversing with Gabriella was soothing, Troy realized, and she wanted nothing more than to make him feel better, which made him happier than he'd been in a while. He glanced down at their linked hands that hadn't separated and only then did it hit him how much he was hurting Gabriella. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do, but he realized now that he had already done it twice. First he led her on with the kiss while he had still had a girlfriend and now, he was confessing his life's problems to her about said girlfriend. How could he do this to her? And why was she being so patient and so kind with him?

This begs the question, when did his life become so complicated?

Gently removing her hand from his, Troy sighed. "Thank you. You are… unbelievably amazing."

"I didn't really do anything," She exclaimed modestly. "We just talked, Troy."

Fighting against his better judgment, Troy leaned across the space between them and kissed her cheek. "That's all I needed."

* * *

Troy told his family about Abby that evening after dinner with the confidence gained from his conversation with Gabriella.

His father had gone silent, his mother had uttered a horrified cry, and Cody had stared at him in shock. Together they talked about her future and his own and the remaining three Boltons were shocked at how well Troy was taking the news. He wasn't distraught and depressed as they expected. He wasn't going to fall to pieces with every step he took. He was actually optimistic for Abby's future, truly believing against all odds that she was going to make it.

Even if he knew she wouldn't.

After their meal, Troy retired to his bedroom to get some rest. It had been a _long_ day. But when sleep didn't come, he lifted his cell phone and called Abby because, truthfully, he still didn't know where he stood with their relationship. "_Hello?_"

"Hey Ab, it's me. How are you?"

"_Troy? Why are you calling me?_"

Troy startled in confusion. "What? Why wouldn't I call you?"

"_Why would you?_"

"Aren't boyfriends supposed to _care_ about their girlfriends?" Troy asked sarcastically. "And vice versa, for that matter?"

"_Oh please. You don't care about me. I don't care about you either. That's why everyone always told us to break up. Because we don't freaking care._"

"Then why were we together so long, Abby? Why did we waste our time with each other?"

"_Because I'm blonde and you're a basketball star. That's the way life goes._"

He shook his head. "So what are we doing now? I still care about you, even if you say I don't."

"_Troy, stop it. Just stop caring. You don't have to say that you care about me just because I have cancer. Trust me, I've gotten enough sympathy from my friends and family that I don't need it from you._"

Troy balled his fists. "I'm _not_ giving you sympathy! Jesus, what the hell is your problem?"

"_There you are. There's the Troy I know. Listen, you and I just don't work. That's why we broke up, right?_"

"I thought we didn't," He struggled. "I thought we didn't break up because you told me about…"

"_You thought wrong, as usual. We did break up, Troy. We're done. So you can stop calling, you can date whoever you want and you can enjoy senior year_."

"You know I can't do that." Troy told her pointedly. "Not after you made me feel guilty for wanting to break up with you!"

"_Well that's life. I feel guilty for wasting your time all these years_."

"God, can you stop being a bitch for like five seconds?!" He yelled and then softened. "Abby… if you're dying-"

"_There aren't any 'ifs' involved, Troy. I am dying. It's a fact._"

"If you're dying," He emphasized. "I don't want to leave things between us like this. It's not fair."

"_To who, Troy? To me, because I'm dying? Or to you, because you'll still be here when I'm gone?_"

Troy was rendered speechless. "What?"

"_You heard me._"

"Why are you like this?"

"_I don't want to be with you anymore, Troy. I thought I made that pretty clear._"

"Well I don't want to be with you either, Abby! It's not like this is a one-sided relationship," He scowled. "You're just making it hard to end things with."

"_Well don't worry about it. I'm ending it so you don't have to. We're over Troy. Over. Done, done, done. Got it?_"

"Yes," He seethed. "I'm not stupid."

"_No, I think you are. We both are._"

Troy groaned. "Why now? What could I have possibly done wrong?"

"_I don't know. I bet I could come up with something._"

"Please don't fabricate shit, Ab," He begged. "I don't have the patience or the energy for that tonight."

"_What a coincidence. Neither do I._"

There was a pause in their conversation as Troy realized he had just directly insulted her. As he made a movement to apologize, she spoke again. "_Did you ever love me?_"

"Why?"

"_I was just thinking about it, that's all._"

"I don't believe in the whole teenage love scene," Troy lied, hoping Abby would believe him.

She didn't. "_Yeah right. You're probably in love right now and that's why you want to break up so badly_."

"I'm not in love," He told her, but his voice came out uneven and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe it was because it was Abby. Maybe it was because of Gabriella. "I cared about you, Abby. But I didn't love you."

"_Mutual, Bolton. I'm glad we can get that off our chests._"

"Me too," He sighed. "We can still try and be friends, though, right? I mean, as friendly as we can be."

"_You want to be friends, now? How in hell do you think we can do that?_"

"I don't know, but we can still talk." Troy stated confidently. "I don't really want to lose you forever."

The second he said those words he regretted them. He wanted to take back his past sentence and pretend he hadn't said it. Maybe he just imagined saying something that hurtful to her. Maybe he hadn't just said a casual statement pretending her illness didn't exist. But the second he heard her sharp intake of breath, he knew what he had thought he dreamt really did happen. He knew he'd have to do damage control. He knew that even if he didn't want to lose her, there was no stopping it from happening.

"_Well… I don't think either of us have a lot of say in that_."

"Abby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"_Don't be. You say shit like that to me all the time._"

"I know, and I shouldn't."

"_Why not? It's not like I don't say it back. You were a God-awful boyfriend, but it's not like I was any better. It's why we were kind of perfect together. A shitty kind of perfect, but still perfect._"

"We were not perfect," Troy snorted. "And I thought you wanted us to break up?"

"_Troy, we're already broken_."

* * *

Maria Montez had no real interest in going to the retirement party for her coworker that evening, but she knew if she didn't go there would be hell to pay the next morning. She felt bad for making Gabriella make the dessert she had been assigned, but then again, when else was she supposed to make it? And Gabriella had offered; it wasn't like she forced it upon her. As she pulled into the garage late that afternoon, she knew she had exactly three hours before she had to leave again. There must be some kind of law against this. One's work should never be able to strip someone of leaving their child for seventeen or more hours a day alone.

The entire house was dark and that made Maria a little uneasy as she entered her home. Had Gabriella gone out tonight without telling her? She couldn't keep track of Gabriella's growing social schedule and didn't remember if this was a night she said she and Taylor were getting together. Taking off her heels, Maria turned on the lights to the kitchen and then moved into the living room. When the room illuminated, she found her daughter curled up on the couch, gripping her stomach, tears pouring down her cheeks and immediately she became concerned.

"Gabriella! What is this? What's wrong?"

The seventeen-year-old glanced up as she noticed her mother's presence and a new batch of tears started. She jumped up from the couch and threw her arms around her mother. "Oh God, Mom! You have to help me! Please help me!"

Maria cradled her daughter in her arms as if she were a child again. "Sweetheart, calm down. What's going on?"

"I need help, Mom. You need to help me!" Gabriella wailed. "Please help!"

"Gabby, honey, you have to tell me what's wrong so I can help you," Maria moved back over to the couch and sat her daughter down, never breaking contact with her. "I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

"It's Troy," Gabriella's voice broke over his name as she tried to calm her tears. "His girlfriend Abby… She was just diagnosed with cancer."

Maria's eyes widened in shock. "Where was she diagnosed?"

"She was away all summer getting treatment in New Hampshire."

"Dartmouth-Hitchcock?" Maria questioned and Gabriella nodded in disconcertment. "What type of cancer does she have, honey?"

"Acute myelogenous leukemia," Gabriella spit out, tears continuing to flow. "Stage four AML… and I told Troy that it's rare and that she's probably not going to make it. But he looked _so_ disappointed, Mom! I don't want to make Troy disappointed!"

Maria smoothed her daughter's hair and wiped the falling tears from her eyes. "Oh sweetie, you didn't make him disappointed. He's just upset for Abby. Cancer's an awful thing."

"That's why you _have_ to help," Gabriella pleaded. "Please Mom, I _know_ you can. Please make Abby better. I don't want to see Troy get hurt and he's going to if Abby doesn't make it. _Please!_"

Her cries escalated to sobs and Maria wrapped her into an embrace once again. "Please Mom! Please make her better! You have to help me. Please!"

Maria was shocked that her daughter was getting so upset over a girl she barely knew. As a doctor who had seen many patients with AML- many of whom lived and many of whom didn't- Maria knew what stage four looked like. It was a road full of treatments and transplants that didn't seem to help, but were done so the family of the patient felt better and reassured that their loved one was recovering. Would Maria try to cure Abby? Without a doubt. She just didn't believe it was destined to work. It was tricky disease that needed to be treated early. Acute meant fast-growing. Acute meant dangerous. Acute meant deadly.

But one look at her daughter's horrified and tear-stricken face made Maria vow to do everything she could to save the life of this girl she had never met. She knew, even if Gabriella refused to admit it, that her daughter had a major crush on Troy and, if he didn't return the feelings, she would be shocked as well. It was somewhat heartbreaking that Gabriella wanted to save the life of her crush's girlfriend just so Troy wouldn't have to suffer, but in a way, it was deeply sweet of her. Maria kissed her daughter's hair and pulled back from their embrace.

"Mom, please help me! Please say you'll help Abby!"

"Yes, baby," Maria promised her daughter. "I'll do everything I can."


	7. Mending Fences

**Um... I'm kind of ashamed to show my face, hahah. I know it's been almost two months. I honestly forgot that it's been this long and then I was like, "OH SHIT! Across A Minefield!!" Yes, I really yelled that, hahaha. So FanFiction is retarded and it won't let me use the dashes on top of and underneath the idiom, so now I have a long line of periods, hahah. Oh well. What are you gonna do, ya know?**

**So thank you all for being loyal and understanding, as usual. I don't own Clue or Monopoly, and I hope you're not too confused by this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Across A Minefield

Chapter Seven: Mending Fences

**...............**

**Mending Fences**- An idiom used to express when people try to improve or restore relations that have been damaged by disputes or arguments. Example: Though Gabriella had never had direct contact with Abby, she felt as though they had been enemies and would spend the rest of the year **mending fences**.

**...............**

The first day of school was always the hardest.

The moment his alarm clock sounded into the deadened quiet of his bedroom, Troy knew all the relaxation, the recreation, and the enjoyment of summer was over. The glaring red numbers on his alarm clock would not stop counting the minutes, as if painfully reminding Troy that he did have all day to just lie around in bed. The room was dark, but the sunlight was trying to peek in through the sides of his window shades and Troy, his eyes fusing shut, was wishing it all away. Summer wasn't over. It wasn't time to go back to school. It wasn't September ninth. It wasn't time to face Abby.

It simply just _wasn't_.

Three short knocks on his door from his father meant that he would now most likely be late to homeroom. Groaning, Troy pushed back the bed sheets and literally had to pull himself from sleep. This was the beginning of a new day, a new year; senior year, at that. He was excited for all the things to come- prom, graduation, and college. But a small part of him felt guilty and that he didn't want to experience these things at all. Because for each of these things- prom, graduation, and college- would Abby be around for them? Would she be able to experience the ups and downs of her last year of high school?

And if she wasn't, could Troy really still have a good time?

Shaking his head of these morbid thoughts, Troy made his bed and got dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. His mother had made the traditional first of school breakfast- blueberry muffins and poached eggs on toast- before leaving for her office that morning, and Troy found his brother enjoying the breakfast alone at the kitchen table. He joined him for a little while, eating slowly and quietly, before turning to finish readying himself for the new day and the new year. School, he thought, could wait.

Upon pulling up to the school that morning, the scene was all the same and that's when Troy realized he was _so_ done with high school. Everyone was outside in the courtyard, comparing schedules and swapping gossip. The freshmen were studying their new schedules furiously, pointing in different directions towards various corners of the school. Sophomores and juniors flitted about anxiously, waiting to be noticed by their peers and lingering around in the hopes that something big would happen. The new seniors walked around haughtily, displaying their control all around the campus. They had senior privileges- they could drive to school and, if they had first or ninth period free, could come to school late or leave early. Troy made a mental note that Gabriella had taken advantage of the former and he planned on utilizing the latter with his free ninth period.

"Hey, Bolton's here!"

Troy glanced in the direction that his named was called and was immediately greeted by Chad, Zeke, and Jason. "It's about time you showed up!"

"Yeah, where've you been? Homeroom starts in like ten minutes!"

"At home," Troy answered truthfully. "Is it just me that didn't want to come to school today?"

"No," Chad grumbled. "I had no interest. I woke up to a text from Taylor that said, 'Happy first day of school!' with a smiley face and a heart. It was sweet, I guess, but who gets that excited over school?"

"Cute," Troy teased and Chad frowned. "How are things going with you guys, anyway?"

"Great," Chad smiled truthfully. "We're doing really well. How about you? How are you… and Abby?"

"We broke up… I think," Troy told his best friend, ignoring the look of confusion on Chad's face.

"It's about time!" Jason cheered. "You and Abby should've broken up months ago!"

"Yeah," Zeke agreed, nodding. "She's such a bitch. You deserve so much better."

Troy glared at his friends. "You guys don't know _anything_."

Stalking away, Troy left his speechless friends behind. Chad glanced back at Zeke and Jason knowingly, who wondered, "What the hell is his problem?"

"You guys don't know everything about Abby," Chad stated uneasily. "Just don't bring her up around him."

Meanwhile, Troy entered the school angrily, furious with his friends, Abby, and himself. It was one of those 'I can make fun of my friends and family all I want, but when you say it, it's a bad thing' moments. He knew what Zeke and Jason were saying was true, but Troy still didn't want any ill talk of Abby. It wasn't because she had cancer. Abby could be perfectly healthy and it still would have pissed Troy off. Something about when his friends told him what they thought of Abby had always rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't like people telling him what to do or what to think. He didn't want to hear others' opinions.

As he mindlessly navigated his way through the school hallways, pushing past underclassmen and ignoring the calls from different cliques, Troy tried to figure out what he would do if he saw Abby that day. Would he say hi to her? Would they strike up a conversation, like their argument and break up had never happened? Or would she ignore him? Would she turn away from his efforts and into the comforts of her friends, pretending that she hadn't seen or heard from him at all? It was at the precise moment in time when Troy decided just to discreetly avoid her.

But it was also that point in time when he ran straight into Abby's throng of friends.

Abby was on the varsity gymnastics team at East High and hung out solely with the girls from that team. Her disagreeable manner and almost unapproachable appearance made it difficult to make friends, so her team of girls was not only her friends, but her family. She wasn't captain of the team, but she might as well have been, seeing as everyone in the group listened to what Abby said to do and say anyway. They dressed similarly and acted similarly and Troy used to call Abby's gymnastics team a cult behind her back. Now, however, the girls surrounding Abby looked liked a fortress, ready to ward off anything that came after her and to protect her from any outside evils.

Including Troy.

"What do you want, Troy? We're busy." The tall brunette in the middle asked him, her hands on her hips. He couldn't remember if this was Samantha or Sarah that was talking to him; it had been that long.

"I don't want anything," Troy responded. "I was walking down the hallway and you guys were in the way. I'm just trying to get to homeroom before I'm ninety."

"Well, you've only got about sixteen seconds until that happens, so I'd run," A blonde grinned and a few of the girls laughed.

"You're hilarious," Troy droned. "Can you just get out of the way?"

"As much as we'd love to, we were here first."

"Yeah, and we'd kind of like to know why you felt it was necessary to break up with Abby. Care to share?"

"Guys," Abby finally broke in, her voice soft and fatigued, matching her facial expression perfectly. "It was a mutual decision. I already told you that."

"That still doesn't make it right."

"Just shut up, okay?" Abby groaned and then turned to Troy. "What's your problem?"

"What?" He asked incredulously. "I don't have a problem."

"Why did you feel the need to start this today?" Abby wanted to know. "Couldn't you have just let it alone?"

"I don't have to take this," Troy sighed, pushing past the girls and taking off down the hallway. "Have a nice life, Ab."

"I will," She called out after him. "Whatever's left of it."

* * *

Late arrival, Gabriella decided, was like a hug from God.

Second period began at eight forty-five, which meant that Gabriella didn't need to get up for school until eight o'clock, since it was only a short, five-minute ride to the school from her house and she didn't take too long in the morning to get ready. She took her time eating breakfast and brushing her teeth and languidly dressed and did her makeup and hair for the day. It was nice to know that she didn't have to rush to be on time for the homeroom bell, since she didn't have a homeroom this year. Climbing into her car, Gabriella drive soundlessly to the school, parked in the student parking lot and reached her second period classroom just in time for the bell.

Senior privileges were godsend.

Gabriella walked into her AP Calculus classroom and greeted her teacher warmly. He was a kind-looking old man that was checking his class roster and assigning books to each of the desks with names upon them. There were three vertical rows of about eight desks in pairs and Gabriella soon found her desk in the back of the second row. She wrote her name in blue ink inside the cover of her calculus book the moment her teacher handed it to her. There were sticky yellow Post-It notes on each of the desks with the name of the student to sit there, but Gabriella recognized most of the class anyway. Curious, she glanced over at the empty desk beside her to see who would be sitting next to her that year.

In dark red ink read _Abigail Miller_.

Gabriella's eyes widened as realized that she and Abby would be sitting next to each other for the year. She had only had one class with Abby before and that was in tenth grade biology. They hadn't ever spoken, though, so this class would have to be a first. The door swung open and three other students entered the room; one, a boy she didn't know, another being Taylor, and the final student was Abby. There she was, her long blonde hair cut short to her shoulders now, her skinny pale body finding its way to her new seat. Gabriella smelled peaches as Abby sat down and desperately tried not to stare at her.

"Good morning, class! My name is Mr. Clawson and welcome to Advanced Placement Calculus AB! I'm going to start by taking attendance and then we're going to go over the course curriculum…"

She couldn't focus. All Gabriella wanted to do was confess to Abby everything that had happened over the summer and apologize profusely for it. She owed so many apologies and so much sympathy to this poor girl but since she had never spoken to her, she didn't know where to begin. Once attendance was taken- and Gabriella realized Mr. Clawson had seated them alphabetically- he began to give notes about the course curriculum and the upcoming AP exam in May. All around her the class was taking down everything their teacher was saying, but Gabriella couldn't keep her mind off of Abby.

"Shit," She heard Abby curse and then the blonde was looking at her. "Do you have a pencil I could borrow? I'm kind of OCD; I don't like taking notes in pen."

Gabriella nodded, handing over a spare. "Yeah, here you go."

"Thanks," Abby stated before scrawling down nearly everything Mr. Clawson was saying.

She watched the movement and the flow of Abby's handwriting. She wrote in half-cursive, half-print, as if all of the letters were connected. It was legible and beautiful; the way each of the letters sloped and looped reminded Gabriella of a roller coaster. Up the loopy Ls and down and around the perfectly rounded Os. Had she ever written love letters to Troy in this seemingly perfect handwriting? Judging by the nature of their relationship, Gabriella guessed probably not. But still, it was fun to imagine and she didn't want to assume the worst.

In the end, Abby handed back the pencil and went back to texting beneath the desk. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Gabriella smiled and decided then to be bold. "I'm Gabriella, by the way. Gabriella Montez."

Abby glanced up and nodded. "I'm Abby."

She turned back to her cell phone and Gabriella bit her lip, frowning slightly. She hadn't expected the conversation to be that short. But just when she was about to add something else, Abby turned to her. "Wait, did you say Montez? Any relation to Dr. Maria?"

This was how Gabriella knew Abby had already had an appointment with her mother. Maria Montez, since she mostly worked with children, did not want to seem intimidating to her patients. Instead of making them call her Dr. Montez, she allowed them to call her Dr. Maria, making them seem more like friends than like doctor and patient. It made children trust her more easily and readily; a confidence tactic that Maria often used to get their help and to help them find strength in their time of need.

"Yeah," Gabriella smiled. "She's my Mom."

"Oh, cool. Well she's a really good doctor… I've heard," Abby added that last part in quickly, so Gabriella wouldn't suspect anything. But she already knew more than she let on.

"She is," Gabriella agreed. "One of the best we have around here, anyway. I volunteer at the hospital after school for a few hours and all of the kids are always talking about how nice and how funny Dr. Maria is. She makes them feel good. That's what they need."

"Don't I know it," Abby said under her breath.

"What?" The brunette asked, even though she had heard what Abby said. When Abby didn't reply, Gabriella didn't pursue it.

"Have we met before?" Abby asked after a moment. "I just… I feel like I know you."

"No, I don't think so," She answered. _But I know you, too…_

"Really?" Abby wondered. "Hmm. I don't know, it's weird. I do feel like I know you, though. You're really easy to talk to and you look so familiar…"

Gabriella knew what she was seeing. All her life, her friends, family, and friends of the family would tell her that she was the spitting image of her mother. She looked like, she talked like her, she acted like her. Gabriella knew the reason why Abby felt as though they had met before was because, in a sense, they _had_. Maria was just as friendly and easy to talk to as Gabriella was, and there was no doubt in Gabriella's mind that that was what Abby was seeing. But how could she bring this up without sounding like a stalker? How could she convey to Abby that she knew what was going on with her without fully saying it? She decided then and there that she wouldn't say anything at all; that she wanted to be Abby's friend and would only allude to the fact that she knew what was going on with her. She didn't want to seem creepy.

"Yeah, I don't know. People always tell me I look like my Mom, but…" She left it open-ended, allowing Abby to swoop in and finish it off.

"Y-Yeah, but I've never seen your Mom," Abby stated uneasily and Gabriella nodded.

"I know."

Abby suspected otherwise. "Does your Mom tell you about the patients she sees?"

"Sometimes, but not usually," Gabriella told her truthfully. "She keeps it pretty confidential."

"Oh," Abby sighed, almost in relief. "Good."

"I mean, she'll tell me if she saved someone's life or, unfortunately, if she lost one," Gabriella continued. "And every now and then, she'll update me on someone's status, but that's just because I volunteer. "

"B-But she doesn't tell you about new people, does she?" Abby worried. "I… I'm just curious."

"No," Gabriella lied to reassure her new friend. "I usually don't know anything about that."

* * *

"Okay, so I have Clue, which is my favorite, or I have Monopoly," Twelve-year-old Giuliana Mancini announced, placing the two game boxes on her hospital bed. "Which one do you want to play?"

"Ooh, the Monopoly one looks brand new," Gabriella noticed, running her hand over the shiny new box.

"Yeah, my Dad just brought that for me for not fighting off radiation treatment," Giuliana sighed. "Whatever, like that's going to help anyway."

"Giuliana, you know every little bit helps," Gabriella told her and the girl rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I guess so. Which one do you want to play?"

"We should probably play Clue. It's your favorite and I don't think I have enough time for Monopoly today."

"Why?" Giuliana whined. "I thought you said Charlotte went home so you could spend more time with me?"

Giuliana was referring to six-year-old Charlotte Cormier who had just been released from the children's hospital after going into remission a few days earlier. Her Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma was not showing up on any of her CAT scans and she was given the okay to go home. Gabriella had been so happy and so proud of her. "She did go home, but I got reassigned to a new little boy today. You know what the first day is like."

"Yeah, a lot of talking and awkwardness," Giuliana nodded, setting up the game board and placing the weapons and pawns in their places. "Who do you want to be? I'm going to be Miss Scarlett, because she's my favorite."

"Okay, I'll be Colonel Mustard," Gabriella chose. "He looks like he's ready to win."

Giuliana dealt the cards to each of them and placed a weapon, a room, and a suspect into the confidential folder. "Okay! We're ready!"

As Gabriella began to mark off the cards she had on her score sheet, she made casual conversation with her friend. "So did you miss not having to go to school today?"

"Yeah, right!" Giuliana laughed. "I hate middle school. Everyone's so fake."

"It doesn't get any better in high school, trust me," Gabriella grinned.

"Angelina's bringing my homework later," She told Gabriella. "I'm really glad I didn't have to go. Everyone would've made fun of me."

Gabriella frowned. "For what?"

"For this!" Giuliana pulled her hair out of her ponytail and let it fall around her shoulders.

Gabriella stared at the girl. "Again I ask, for what?"

"Gabriella! In case you didn't notice, I don't have hair on the left side of my head," Giuliana pointed out, the hair cut and shaved off to make room for the radiation treatments. "They would've all laughed at me."

"Oh who cares? It's just hair," Gabriella pointed out, but Giuliana didn't seem convinced. "You're still the same Giuliana, aren't you?"

"No. Now I have cancer," She stated bitterly. "Do you think all of my hair is going to fall out someday?"

"I don't know," Gabriella sighed. "Do you?"

"Yeah, and when it does, I think I'm going to wear a hat every single day." She planned, rolling the dice and moving her pawn.

"I'll take you hat shopping," Gabriella smiled and Giuliana's eyes lit up.

"Really? Will you?"

"Sure, if you really want to."

"I do!" She cheered. "Can I get a straw hat or a cowboy hat? Oh my God, I've always wanted a sombrero! Ooh or can I get that one with all the fake fruit on it?"

Gabriella chuckled. "You can get whatever you want. But if you get the sombrero, you have to get maracas. Just saying."

Giuliana dissolve into giggles. "Okay!"

After a few moments passed, Gabriella spoke again. "Listen, Giuliana? How open are you to new friends?"

"Not very," She stated honestly. "Why?"

"Well, there's this girl at my school who was just diagnosed with cancer. Leukemia, actually," Gabriella began to explain. "And she's not going to need the hospital for a while, I don't think. But when she does, I want to introduce you to her. Will that be okay?"

"I guess so," Giuliana shrugged. "What's her name?"

"Abby," Gabriella answered. "She isn't too sick yet, but she'll definitely need a friend."

"I don't need a new friend," Giuliana stated stubbornly. "I have you."

"I know," Gabriella smiled warmly. "Abby has me too, even if she doesn't know it yet. But when I'm not here, you and Abby could have each other."

"Okay. I guess I can do that," Giuliana agreed and then brightly, added, "I'm ready to make my guess!"

"Okay, go for it."

"I accuse Mrs. Peacock of murdering Mr. Boddy in the Billiard Room with the revolver!" Giuliana announced and watched as Gabriella opened the confidential envelope.

"The suspect is Mrs. Peacock. The weapon is the revolver, and the room is the Billiard Room." Gabriella read. "Nice work, Giuls!"

"Thank you!" She grinned. "I won!"

"Yes, Giuliana," Gabriella smiled. "You did."

* * *

"… So this is your progress so far," Maria Montez spoke, bringing up a line graph on the projector screen. "The purple line is your white blood cell count from last week. The green the line is the white blood cell count that I just took."

Abby Miller stared hard at the screen. She tried not to listen to her mother's cries from beside her. She tried not to believe that she was in a hospital right now instead of at gymnastics. And she tried hard not to see that the green line was below the purple line on the graph. It meant she wasn't progressing; she was regressing. The chemotherapy had done nothing but made her vomit. Blinking past tears and clearing her throat, Abby asked, "So what does this mean?"

"It means that, unfortunately, the chemotherapy isn't doing much help," Maria informed the girl. "A test on your bone marrow also showed signs of abnormal bleeding and infection. We're either going to have to administer antibiotics, which would cancel any effects of the chemotherapy anyway, or put you on the waiting list for a bone marrow transplant and red blood cell transfusion."

Abby's mother gasped. "T-Transplant?"

"I'm very sorry." Maria said gravely. "It's the only thing we can do if you want any signs of getting better."

"Is all of this just going to prolong my death?" Abby questioned out of curiosity and her mother uttered a horrified cry.

"Abby!"

"Mom, I'm serious," She turned back to Maria. "Dr. Maria, the doctors in New Hampshire told me I'm in stage four. Doesn't that mean I'm going to die anyway?"

"I wouldn't say you were in stage four. By my records, it's late stage three," Maria told her. "Which means there's still a slight chance we could help you."

"How slight?" She asked cynically.

"It's hard to tell."

"If I didn't do any of this," Abby wondered. "How long would I have to live?"

"I would say about three to five months, Abby," Maria told her austerely. "It's not looking good."

"And if I did?"

"There's a chance of remission, which means you would be free of the disease- though not cured- and you could go one with your life." Maria explicated. "But if remission doesn't come, you're still looking at the same three to five months."

"So there's really no difference?"

"Unfortunately, no," Maria sighed. "But let me tell you, it will much less painful with the treatments than without."

"What would I have to do?" Abby's voice was quiet now, the strength having left.

"We would continued chemotherapy and begin you on radiation. In a few weeks, we'd perform a red blood cell transfusion to ward off anemia and to kill the cancer cells in your bone marrow. All the while, you'd be on a bone marrow transplant list, waiting for the perfect match to come along and rescue you."

"Okay," Abby said, inhaling a deep breath. "I think I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Maria asked, wanting to know that she wasn't pressured into her decision. "This is all your decision, Abby. I don't want anyone to pressure you into it. You don't have to do this. You can wait it out, if you want. That's your other option."

The door opened and closed, but Abby took no notice of who had entered the room. "No, I want to do this. I want to fight for as long as I can. I don't want to just give up."

"Good," A voice replied and Abby glanced up, her eyes widening. "You're too strong for that."

Gabriella, holding a clipboard of all of the patients' statuses that she'd visited that afternoon in her hands, was standing beside her mother, smiling confidently at Abby. Her mother took the clipboard from her and looked over the notes, satisfied with each of her patients' responses that afternoon and checked and signed where necessary. Gabriella thanked her mother and began to leave the room to bring the clipboard back to the office where it was needed, but stopped upon sight of Abby, who was still staring at her, dumbfounded.

"Gabriella?" Abby questioned. "Oh... Oh my God."

"It's okay, Abby," Gabriella assured her. "I already know."


	8. Cling to Hope

**... and here's chapter eight! *pretends she's updated on a regular basis***

**Thank you to the three of you who reviewed the last chapter, hahah. heysoulsisterx, We'reBreakingFree, and Midnight113! Love you guys!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Cling to Hope

**...**

**Cling to Hope-** An expression used when someone continues to hope or pray for something though the chances of success are very small. Example: Gabriella continued to build her relationship with Abby, **clinging to the hope** that she would one day recover from her awful disease.

**... **

"So… how do you know?"

It was a simple question from Abigail Miller directed towards her new friend Gabriella Montez, but somehow, Gabriella found it difficult to answer. How could she tell this girl, this girl she had barely had two conversations with, that her ex-boyfriend and she had gotten incredibly close? How could she relay to her the facts and figures that she and Troy had spoken about numerous times on end? It didn't seem like the right thing to say to someone who had just broken up with the guy and already wasn't on good terms with him. Gabriella bit her lip as she tried to come up with some way to sound nonchalant, but Abigail, never one to be called unintelligent, narrowed her eyes.

"Who told you?" She asked, point blank range. "Did you talk to Troy?"

"Um…maybe," Gabriella stated slowly, watching Abby's green eyes darken into a shade nearly resembling grey. "But honestly, it wasn't like that. He was really worried about you and he knew that I knew a lot about the disease since my Mom's a doctor and-"

"Whatever," Abby muttered, turning away from Gabriella. "How did you and Troy even become friends?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Gabriella stated and glanced out towards the setting sun in the horizon. She paused to take in the beauty of the yellows and pinks of the sunset from atop the hill she and Abby were perched upon, not noticing Abby was still waiting for the continuation of the story.

Abby crossed her arms across her chest. "I've got time."

Gabriella's brown eyes snapped back to meet Abby's and she shot her an apologetic smile. "Well, I guess you do."

"So what happened?" Abby asked. "I left for the summer and he wanted to hook up with someone behind my back?"

"No, nothing like that," Gabriella assured her and out of curiosity, asked, "What is going with you two anyway? Like, what happened that made you two hate each other so much?"

Abby's eyes darkened even further. "I asked you first."

Gabriella giggled nervously, hoping to lighten the mood. "Okay, that's true. Well… I don't really know where to start. My best friend Taylor McKessie- do you know her?"

"Yeah, I think she's in my English class." Abby stated. "Go on."

"Well Chad Danforth asked her out one day this past summer and she was really nervous about it because it was pretty much her first real date," Gabriella rambled. "Anyway, I went along with her for moral support and Chad brought Troy, so while Taylor and Chad played mini golf, Troy and I just talked and got to know each other. We ended up going to the Fourth of July carnival and hanging out all summer together, pretty much. He's just… a really great guy."

"Hm," Abby said, her face blank, emotionless. "I guess I can see how you would say that. He _can_ be nice."

"We talked about you a lot," Gabriella admitted, hoping this would help. "He really wanted advice on what to do with your relationship. I've never actually been in one, so I probably wasn't much help."

At this, Abby's face considerably brightened and she turned towards her, intrigued. "What did you tell him?"

_To break up with you. That you two weren't in love and probably wouldn't ever be._ Gabriella bit her lip. "Not much. He wanted to know if he was in love and… Well, I didn't think so."

Abby stared at Gabriella a long time. Then, a small smile curved upon her lips. "I like you, Gabriella. You're honest. Not that many people would have just admitted that to me. See, you're not like Troy. He would've told me he loved me no matter what, even if it was a lie. It is, by the way, a complete fabrication."

The brunette nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know."

Abby chuckled then, shaking her head lightly. "Let's be friends. Can we do that? Let's hang out like this more often."

Gabriella smiled. "I'd like that."

"So tell me about yourself," Abby inquired. "What's your family like? Your Mom's obviously a doctor, but what does your Dad do?"

She sighed, her smile slowly dripping into a frown. "Well my parents got divorced when I was eleven, but when he did live with us, he was an accountant. He lives in Montana now with his new family. We don't speak very often."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Abby apologized awkwardly. "I didn't know."

"It's okay, you couldn't have known," Gabriella shrugged. "So… What's up with you and Troy?"

Abby soon matched Gabriella's frown. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, why not?" Gabriella pressed. "He didn't tell me why you two are always at each other's throats either! How am I ever going to get the story?"

"Maybe later," Abby shrugged it off. "So what else do you want to talk about? Calculus? Matt Damon? AML?"

Gabriella shook her head. "We're not talking about cancer."

"Why not? Everyone else wants to," Abby exhaled, staring out over the horizon. "I'm going to die, Gabriella, let's face it."

She refused to accept this as truth. "No, you're not."

"Yes I am!" Abby insisted. "Your Mom may just be the best doctor around here, but even she probably can't save me from myself. It's okay, really. I don't really know how to take it. It still hasn't really sunken in."

"Well good," Gabriella said and Abby glanced over at her. "Don't let it sink in. You have to fight it off as long as you can. You have to do everything you can to help my Mom help you. You'll be okay. I'm sure of it."

But Abby shook her head. "You keep clinging to hope, Gabriella. One of us will think realistically."

Just then, an idea made itself known in Gabriella's mind and she smiled winningly. "Abby, what are you doing tomorrow after school?"

"Nothing, why?"

"You are now," Gabriella grinned. "See you at the hospital, three-thirty."

* * *

"I don't like kids."

"Abby, she's twelve. She's not a kid."

"I don't care! What am I supposed to do with her?"

"Have you never hung out with someone younger than you before?"

"No, I'm an only child!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully. "You just talk. Listen to what she has to say, relate to her. Trust me, you two have a lot in common."

That afternoon, after a long day of high school drama and ridiculously boring classes, Gabriella and Abby had reconvened in the lobby of the pediatric ward, Gabriella having to volunteer. She had planned on introducing Abby to Giuliana Mancini, and not only because one day, they would both be living in the hospital. After their conversation on the hill the day before, Gabriella realized that Abby was very much like Giuliana- wild, passionate, and unconditionally stubborn. If any two people had matching personalities, it wasn't Giuliana and her twin sister Angelina. It was Giuliana and Abby.

Gabriella tucked her clipboard underneath her arm and knocked before pushing open the door to Giuliana's hospital room, Abby reluctantly following close behind. The curtains were pushed back and the window was open, letting the crisp autumn breeze into the stuffy, congested living space. There were board games and a laptop computer along with a sweater and two t-shirts resting upon the couch opposite the bed. The bedside lamp was illuminated, giving light for Giuliana, who was propped up by pillows and reading one of _The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_ novels. When her deep brown eyes noticed the two girls in the room, Giuliana placed her sequined bookmark into the crease of the novel and glanced up excitedly.

"Gabriella! You're early!" She exclaimed. "I thought you weren't coming until four?"

"I'm not, technically," Gabriella stated, handing her a manila envelope. "Here, I brought you a present."

"Thanks!" Giuliana grinned, accepting the gift- in which she knew would be a few junky tabloids, brand new stickers for her scrapbooking set, and a Kit-Kat bar, their weekly routine. "So what are you doing here now, then?"

"Well I have to go see Joey before I can come back and see you," Gabriella explained. "So technically, I'm not coming until four. But I wanted to introduce you to my friend first. She'll keep you company until I can hang out with you."

"Oh," Giuliana paused, sitting up even straighter. "Is this Abby?"

Gabriella nodded. "Giuliana, this _is_ Abby, a friend from school. Abby, this is Giuliana. A really good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you," Giuliana stated politely and Abby nodded.

"Likewise."

"So, I'm off to visit Joey," Gabriella repeated, beginning to make an exit. "But I'll be back in a half hour. Have fun!"

"Wait, Gabriella!" Giuliana hissed and Gabriella turned her attention towards the twelve-year-old.

"What?"

"What do I do with her?" She questioned and her older friend chuckled.

"Do with her what you'd do with me. Talk, play games, it doesn't matter." Gabriella assured the girl. "Trust me, it'll be fine."

The door closed behind her and the room was drowned in silence. Abby picked at the t-shirt she was wearing, Giuliana at the bed sheets. Finally, Abby sighed. "So, you're twelve, huh? How's middle school going?"

"I don't know," Giuliana answered truthfully. "I haven't gone in because I've been staying here. Radiation and chemo treatments."

"Oh," Abby said simply. "I think mine start next month. Not looking forward to it."

"Yeah, it's not very enjoyable," Giuliana agreed. "So… What do you have?"

"AML. Acute myelogenous leukemia," Abby spelled out. "What about you?"

"Inoperable brain tumor," She stated quietly. "So we're both going to die, huh?"

Something about her question sparked humor inside of Abby. She cracked a smile and then burst into laughter. It didn't seem funny, if you heard the question. But the way that the two of them were casually speaking of the causes that were killing them was somewhat comical. Giuliana stared at Abby, watching her laugh, before joining in, not understanding what was funny but laughing for the fun of it anyway. The two laughed together for a couple of minutes, Abby ceasing to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"It's not funny," Abby said, smiling despite the fact. "Cancer is probably the least funny thing on the planet."

Giuliana laughed again. "Then why are you laughing?"

"I don't know," Abby couldn't express why. Why was she laughing? Why did she find it funny that she made friends with Gabriella just because her mother was her radiologist? Why did she find it funny that she was hanging out with a twelve-year-old just because they had a disease in common? And what could possibly be so humorous about the fact that instead of hanging out at the mall, like normal teenagers, or at home doing their schoolwork, they were sitting inside a barren hospital room? It wasn't right. It wasn't real. And it certainly wasn't funny.

Except, it was.

"I think," The blonde began to explain. "I think that when you've had so much of one emotion, all of your other emotions just get so confused. I've spent so much time silently freaking out about this disease and crying to myself, that now, _everything_ is funny. I could look at a bird and I would die laughing, just for no reason at all."

Giuliana stared at her and Abby grinned wryly. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

But the twelve-year-old shook her head. "No, actually. You're kind of cool."

"Really?" A genuine smile grew on Abby's face. "Thanks. You're pretty cool yourself."

Giuliana blushed. "Thanks. So… How long have you known Gabriella?"

"A day," Abby laughed. "We met in Math class yesterday. But she seems like a really nice person."

"She is! She's the best," Giuliana informed. "She hangs out with me the longest because she says I'm her favorite. But we're like best friends. She's so funny and she's so much fun."

"Good," Abby nodded. "I need that."

Giuliana smiled smartly. "I think we all do."

* * *

When Troy had called Gabriella that afternoon and invited her to a movie, he honestly hadn't thought of it as a date. It had been a boring, rainy Saturday and he felt like viewing a movie he hadn't already seen a million times over. He weighed his options and decided on the new action flick Leonardo DiCaprio was starring in. Judging by how much Gabriella loved Leonardo DiCaprio, he knew she would say yes. He had gone about his day, eagerly anticipating the night with Gabriella, and not once did he think of it as a date-type situation.

When Gabriella had accepted the movie plans with Troy, she also hadn't thought of it as a date. Friends go to movies all the time, right? She knew their relationship was strictly platonic, no matter what she- or he- wanted and disregarding their oblivious feelings for each other. She hadn't thought about him the entire day following the infamous phone call and when it came time to dress for the theater, she had even been a touch on the tardy side. Upon meeting Troy in the lobby of the movie theater, the last thing that was on her mind was the idea that this was a date.

Except, the moment they saw each other, they knew it was.

"Hey!" Troy greeted her, a grin threatening to split his face in two. "What's up? You look great."

"Thank you," She laughed. "You too. Even better than I remembered."

"Better than you remembered?" Troy asked, his eyebrows lifting in amusement.

"Well, yeah," Gabriella insisted. "I haven't seen much of you since school started. I thought you told me that school wasn't important to you?"

"It's not," He defended, blushing slightly. "But you think this is bad? Wait until basketball season starts. That's when you'll never see me."

"And when will that be?" She questioned. "Because I cannot _wait_."

"Ha ha," Troy chuckled dryly. "Anyway, how much are movies now? Nine fifty?"

"I they're ten," Gabriella frowned. "Which is a complete rip-off. I don't care how attractive Leonardo DiCaprio is."

"What is everyone's fascination with that guy?" Troy asked her and she laughed.

"There's just something about him, besides the fact that he's absolutely adorable, that I just love," Gabriella grinned and then gasped upon remembering. "Did I ever tell you that the very first book that I bought with my own money was called 'Lovin' Leo'? It was pretty much his life story."

Troy laughed. "You're kidding."

"I'm not!" She shrieked as they stepped up to the ticket booth, giggling uncontrollably. "It was such a good book, too."

Troy shook his head. "I can't believe you, Montez. I really can't."

"Hi! How can I help you today?" The perky teenager behind the counter greeted the pair.

"Hey, can we get two tickets for-"

"Two tickets?" Gabriella stopped him. "Troy, I'll pay for myself."

He stopped to look at her. "It's really not that big of a deal. I've got it."

"So one ticket, then?" The girl behind the register asked, her voice ignored by the two.

"No, no," Gabriella insisted. "I'm paying my own way. You can't… It's just…"

"It's what?" Troy wondered, the amused grin making its way back onto his features. "It's polite? It's nice? It's-"

"Wrong," Gabriella filled in. "You can't do that because then… Well, it's a date."

"One ticket or two, guys?" The teenager droned, eyes rolling at the banter.

"And it's not a date," Gabriella stated slowly, a crimson flush creeping onto her cheeks.

"It's not a date," Troy repeated quietly, trying to convince himself of this as well. "Right."

Eventually, tickets were bought as were the inevitable popcorn and soda that followed. The theater was already dark with rolling previews as Troy and Gabriella took a seat in the very back row. It was considerably empty for the opening night of an A-list film, but that didn't dampen either of the teenager's spirits. Cell phones were silenced, popcorn crunched, and the opening credits of the film rolled onscreen, Troy sneaking a side glance at Gabriella, who was already entranced in the movie, though it had barely begun. Glancing back at the screen, Troy noticed that Leonardo DiCaprio was already shirtless. He groaned.

"Oh great," He deadpanned. "It's going to be one of _these_ movies."

Gabriella chuckled. "Shh. _Leo's_ talking."

"Leo's not talking," Troy argued. "Leo's sitting on a stool, shirtless."

"Jealous, are we?" She whispered back, chucking a piece of popcorn at him and giggling when it bounced off his nose.

"No, jealous we are not," Troy returned the war, ricocheting a popcorn kernel off of her top lip. "Still just wondering what you see in him. I mean, yeah, he's a great actor, but that's pretty much it."

"I would have to disagree," Gabriella sighed, tossing another kernel towards his chin. "The only reason I told you I would go tonight is for Leo. I don't even know what this movie's about."

Troy laughed, aiming at her forehead with a buttery popcorn kernel between his thumb and forefinger. "What a coincidence. Neither do I."

She grinned, tossing a few pieces in her mouth before throwing the rest at her friend. "Troy, now is probably a really weird time and place for this, but I have a question."

"Okay," He crunched a few kernels in his fist, raining the crumbs like confetti across her lap as she laughed. "Shoot."

She did- a popcorn kernel that bounced off of his right eyelid. "Well, you and I are pretty good friends now, right?"

"Yeah," Troy agreed. "Best friends."

"Great, so you know that you can tell me anything, right? And I feel like I can tell you, too," Gabriella whispered, Troy nodding along. "If you don't mind me asking… What happened between you and Abby that made you guys hate each other so much?"

Troy paused, his eyes glazing over as he lost himself in a forbidden memory Gabriella couldn't pick. This was hardly the time or the place, but she looked so determined to find out the happenings of Troy and Abby's early relationship. As Troy sought to close Pandora's Box yet again- his hand frozen in mid-popcorn launch- he contemplated just what telling Gabriella would entail. Yes, she would better understand the nature of their relationship, but is that really what he wanted? He didn't want to speak of the relationship he had finally gotten himself out of. He wanted to put it and Abby in his past.

Gabriella motioned towards his hand. "Are you going to throw that at me before you tell me?"

Troy chuckled softly, obliging. "Gabriella, I don't want to talk about this now."

"Okay," She smiled sweetly. "You don't have to. I was just curious, that's all."

She turned back to the movie, popping her snack into her mouth and munching hungrily, watching Leonardo DiCaprio with adoring eyes. Troy sighed. "If I tell you, I'm going to sound like a pussy."

Gabriella laughed. "I doubt it."

Reaching across the armrest, she slowly threaded her fingers through his own. He gulped. "You won't understand."

Eyes sincere, Gabriella smiled. "Try me."

Drawing in a deep breath, Troy began. "In sophomore year, Abby and I started dating and everything went pretty great. We went through this period where we couldn't get enough of each other. But Abby had every bit of our relationship planned out. She had a timeline of what should happen between us and when. After we'd been dating two and a half weeks, she told me it was time for us to have sex."

Gabriella giggled, blushing slightly. "She told you this?"

"Yeah," Troy laughed. "And I barely knew the girl, so that was kind of the last thing I wanted to do. I know any other guy wouldn't have questioned it and would've just jumped into bed with her, but I kind of wanted my first time to be with someone… I don't know. Perfect. And who knows? That could've been Abby. But I didn't know _then_. And that pissed her off."

"So, we started arguing. All the time and about nothing. At an end of the year party, she ended up hooking up with one of the guys on the basketball team, thinking it would make me jealous and make me want her more." Troy recalled. "Well, it backfired, and I couldn't have wanted her any less. We argued more than anything after that; she couldn't ever get her way and I was still pissed at her for sleeping with one of my friends. And then… Well, she went away for the summer and I thought that I was set. Now she has cancer and I feel extremely guilty."

Gabriella squeezed his hand. "I don't think that makes you seem like a wuss."

"A pussy," Troy corrected and Gabriella pulled a face.

"I don't like that word," She told him and he chuckled. "But really, I don't. I think it makes you seem incredibly mature. How many sixteen-year-olds would have made that decision?"

"None," Troy answered. "That's why I'm a girl."

"No, you're not," She disagreed. "I think it was the right decision and I think you're very mature and responsible for making it. I do think the nature of the relationship is a little ridiculous, though. You could've just broken up and saved yourselves the trouble."

"I know," Troy said quietly. "We had a reason for why we didn't, though."

"And what's that?"

"Honestly?" Troy smiled wryly. "I have no idea."


	9. Leave Well Alone

**Look, look! An update within a reasonable amount of time! Hahaha I'm so proud of myself. I sat myself down this morning and I was like, "Britni, FOCUS! You need to write this." And so, here it is! I just want to say that even though I'm an awful, horrible, and terrible updater for this story, you all are still the perfect reviewers you always have been. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for always being there. I love you all. =D**

**And now to what I do and do not own. I do own the Maroon 5 concert t-shirt that Gabriella wears in this chapter hahaha. Just got it on Friday at their concert that was freaking awesome. But I don't own Maroon 5 or their song "Harder to Breathe." I also don't own HSM or its characters. And I certainly don't own Hamlet or the Kardashian sisters hahaha. Yeah. So enjoy this chapter and please review!  
**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Leave Well Alone

**... **

**Leave Well Alone**- An idiom used to express when someone keeps a safe distance from something, either physically or metaphorically. Example: Though Gabriella continued to update Troy on Abby's well-being and medical status, Troy made sure to **leave her well alone**.

**...**

By the middle of October, Troy Bolton had not only memorized his schedule, but he had fallen into a routine.

If there was one thing that Troy Bolton needed, besides basketball and food, mind you, it was routine. Ever since he was an infant, his parents had kept him and his three siblings on a strict routine and he had grown with it, adapting to his everyday life and everything falling into place. One might say Troy was a bit OCD, needing everything in his life to be absolutely perfect, but others saw it and ran with it. It was just the way Troy was. But he had his day to day routine in school- go to class, walk and converse with Gabriella, and no matter what happens, avoid Abby at all costs.

He was getting so used to his close friendship with Gabriella and had become so comfortable with her that he truly could tell her anything. His relationship with Gabriella was so astoundingly different from his relationship with Chad; he had told Gabriella so much more about his thoughts and inner feelings than he ever could do with Chad. Though he and Chad could talk openly about sports, girls, and music, his relationship with Gabriella was deeper than that. It was, essentially, one of the things he cherished most about her.

As he walked through the hallways, Troy frowned upon the realization that he was, again, walking alone to Economics. His second period Economics class was just a few doors down from Gabriella's second period Calculus class, but Gabriella had been out sick for the past few days. Though they had spoken on the phone the night before and Gabriella had informed him that she felt much better, she still hadn't made it to school that morning and he knew that he would, again, have to face Abby outside the Calculus classroom alone.

It was weird to think that Gabriella and Abby had become friends, since all Troy wanted to do was keep a safe distance from his ex. Whenever he walked Gabriella to her second period class, which Abby was also in, he made sure to say a quick goodbye before heading off on his own, so afraid of confrontation that he had to make sure to obliterate the possibility. Troy now knew the back hallways of the school, because every time he came into contact with Abby, he'd sneak off in a different direction. Childish? Yes. But that was the way it was.

Troy and Gabriella always talked about and told each other everything. But whenever Gabriella would try to keep him informed on Abby's progress forward- or backward- with her disease, Troy would always change the subject. It wasn't something he could handle and it certainly wasn't joyous conversation. He couldn't figure out what it was, it wasn't something he could pick, but somewhere inside of him, he wasn't ready to talk about Abby. He didn't want to know and he wanted it to seem like it didn't care. After all, that's what she had wanted, wasn't it? For him to move on with his life and not think about her at all?

And damn it, he was going to try.

But things like this made it difficult.

As he approached the classroom door, he heard a loud commotion coming from the hallway outside of Gabriella and Abby's Calculus classroom. Advancing closer and closer to the scene, he noticed a large group of people surrounding the doorway, shouting to each other and closing in on whatever- or whoever- was in the middle. Troy's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he tried to make out just what was happening, getting a little closer and noticing as the Calculus teacher ended his frantic phone call inside the classroom. He noticed a familiar face in the crowd and pulled her aside.

"Sharpay!" Troy called, yanking on her arm as the blonde grinned brightly at him.

"Hey Troy, what's going on?" Sharpay Evans flirted, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "We haven't talked in so long. How was your summer?"

"Great, yeah, listen," He waved it off. "What's going on?"

Sharpay's smile dimmed and she immediately grew an annoyed expression at being snubbed. "It's Abby. She was walking to Calc with a few of her friends over there, see? But then she started swaying and wobbling and the next thing we knew, she was on the ground. She's out cold."

"She… What… I…" Troy was speechless as he glanced to the right, noticing a few paramedics rushing down the hallway with a stretcher.

"Back up! Back up!"

"Give her some room! Come on now, come on!"

Troy, though he was nowhere near the large group centered around his fallen ex, began to slowly walk backwards, toward his Economics classroom. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He closed his eyes and opened them again, only to find the paramedics strap Abby's unconscious body onto the stretcher and wheel her out of sight. This was what Troy couldn't handle. He couldn't listen to Gabriella talk about Abby's medical condition. He couldn't talk to Abby without ultimately feeling guilty. He couldn't watch as the EMTs loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. He preferred to leave her well alone, pretending that their conversation at the end of the summer had never happened. It was easier that way.

If he listened, he knew he'd crack.

If he spoke, he knew he'd break.

If he watched, he knew that this idea that Abby had put into his head about cancer and death would become all too real.

And he couldn't deal with that right now.

* * *

Being sick absolutely, one hundred percent sucked.

No really, it did.

"_How dare you say that my behavior's unacceptable_," Gabriella sang, chucking another playing card at the wastebasket a few feet in front of her. "_So condescending, unnecessarily critical_."

Another card thrown at the basket, another miss. "_I have the tendency of getting very physical. So watch your step, 'cause if I do, you need a miracle_."

Gabriella had been fever-free for twenty-four hours and technically could have gone to school today if she wanted to. But, it was a Wednesday, and who really likes Wednesdays anyway? Instead, she was seated on the couch in her living room, the wastebasket from the office seated just a few feet in front of her as she tossed playing cards into it, hoping to get them all in, or so was the point of the game. She was wearing a pair of grey athletic shorts and an old Maroon 5 concert t-shirt, singing a bunch of their old hits as she tried desperately to entertain herself.

"_When it gets cold outside and you've got nobody to love_," Gabriella sighed, missing yet another card. "_You'll understand what I mean when I say there's no way we're gonna give up_."

A soft padding on the carpeted stairs jolted Gabriella's languid state and she turned to greet her mother with a smile. It was a rare day off for Maria Montez, so the two had been hanging out earlier on in the day. Now, however, Maria frantically raced about the house, gathering things together and shoving them into her work bag. Gabriella continued to toss cards, not shocked at all that Maria was frenetically rushing. It was typical that her mother would have a day off, only to be called into work early anyway. This was her job and so it became Gabriella's life to often spend an astonishing amount of time alone.

"Gabby, honey, I'm really sorry…" Maria spit out in between running from room to room. "Where are my shoes?"

"Front closet, Mom," Gabriella answered, not looking up from her 'oh-so exciting' game.

"Thank you, baby," She smiled adoringly, hurrying to the front hall to retrieve her pristine-white hospital sneakers. "I really am sorry, though. I know we were having quality time together today, so it must seem like I'm running out on you."

"Yeah, but I'm used to it," Gabriella mumbled.

"What was that?" Maria asked, coming into view as she slipped her lab coat over her blouse.

"I said it's no big deal," She lied, forcing a smile. "It's your job. I understand."

A small, apologetic smile grew on Maria's face. "I owe you, Gabby. I really, really do. This weekend, whatever you want to do, I'm yours. Movies? Shopping spree? Mini-vacation to California or something?"

"Sure," Gabriella chuckled. "We'll figure something out."

"Oh, and you probably shouldn't come volunteer until Friday," Maria warned her. "I know you're feeling better, but I want to be sure the germs are completely gone before you set foot in the hospital."

"Okay," Gabriella called, giving up on her game and switching on the television.

"Oh and one more thing," Maria bit her lip, gravely. "I don't want you to freak out. But they called me into the hospital today because Abby passed out in school earlier this morning."

Gabriella's eyes widened, her attention no longer on the television screen. "What?"

Maria nodded sadly. "The hospital said the paramedics got a frantic call from her Calculus teacher saying that a student had fainted. Abby was unconscious by the time they reached her. I'm not sure what her condition is right now, but I'll keep you posted, I promise."

Gabriella stood. "I have to come with you."

"Gabby, honey, you have to stay here." Maria pleaded. "You're still carrying the virus and that is the last thing that Abby or any of the other children need right now. Rest, drink a lot of fluids, and I'll see you when I get home."

She crossed her arms over her chest, slumping back onto the couch. "Fine."

"I know you want to help," Maria said. "But there isn't really anything you can do. I'm not even sure if there's anything I can do."

Gabriella's worry-filled eyes lifted to meet her mother's. "But you're going to try, aren't you? Please tell me you're going to try."

Maria smiled softly. "Of course I am."

* * *

Friday afternoon, the ninth period dismissal bell rang and Gabriella nearly ran out of the school to her car. She barely said two words to Taylor as she passed her, explaining simply that she had to get to the hospital right away. Gathering a few basic things from her locker, Gabriella flew to the student parking lot and located her car, jamming the key into the ignition and beating traffic by escaping out of the back exit. She pulled into the hospital visitor's parking lot and killed the ignition, quickly locking the car and greeting the woman behind the front desk as she waited for an elevator.

Hitting the oncology floor, Gabriella stepped out of the elevator and was immediately greeted by a few of her mother's colleagues who stopped her to ask about how her own well-being was and what her plans were for the future. She greeted her mother briefly and slipped on a hospital robe, stopping to thoroughly wash her hands and grab her clipboard of patients for the day. She knew, even if Abby Miller wasn't on her list, that she would be visiting her anyway, but luckily for her, Abby Miller was the last one on the list. After suffering through two half-hours of patients, Gabriella finally made it to the second-to-last patient on her list and the last stop before Abby- Giuliana Mancini.

Giuliana's condition was slowly worsening and it made Gabriella's heart break to see her in such a vulnerable position. She was lying in a half-upright position with multiple new machines hooked up to her body- one for supplemental nutrition, one to monitor her brain activity, and one for her heart rate. Her skin now looked flaky and pale and her eyelids were an awful, purple color. What was left of her hair was now gone, leaving a completely bald Giuliana behind. But she was still the same girl, the same feisty twelve-year-old that Gabriella had met all those weeks ago. She smiled and handed her the traditional manila envelope.

"Here's your daily gift," Gabriella grinned and Giuliana beamed.

"Thank you!" She slowly placed it onto her bedside table. "I'm almost done with my scrapbook, so that's one less thing you have to bring me every day."

"I like bringing you stuff, Giuls," Gabriella told her truthfully. "So you'll have to come up with something else for me to get you."

"Okay," She inhaled a deep breath. "I'm sure I can come up with something."

Gabriella was dying to know. She motioned towards the new machines. "When did you get those?"

"Wednesday night," Giuliana explained. "Dr. Maria said that… They'd make everything easier. I don't know what she's talking about. Now I have three machines I have to drag into the bathroom with me."

Gabriella giggled. "Yeah, that's hardly the easier way to do things. Seems ridiculous, to me."

"I don't have any hair left," Giuliana spoke bitterly, but then, a smile grew on her face as she asked, "So when are we going hat shopping?"

The older girl grinned giddily. "Oh, don't worry. We're still going hat shopping. The second you get a little better and lose those machines, we're out of here. I know this great hat shop next to…"

But Gabriella trailed off as she noticed Giuliana's eyes cast downward. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not going to get better."

"Giuliana, what have we always talked about?" The younger girl didn't answer. "Giuliana! What is our motto, here?"

"Always be positive," Giuliana mumbled. "But I can't be positive, Gabriella! I only… I only have a month left."

"Don't even say that."

"I do," Giuliana insisted. "You know what I want you to do, right?"

"Yes," Gabriella cut her off before she could elaborate. "We've already talked about this. But honestly, you need to stop thinking about this. You're making _me _think about this."

Giuliana smiled sadly. "Maybe you need to think about this."

"No," Gabriella stated insistently. "I don't. And neither do you."

The twelve-year-old Italian-born girl glanced away and when she glanced back, Gabriella prayed she had something better to talk about. She did. "Did you hear that Lindsay Lohan and Alexis Neiers are jail mates?"

Gabriella laughed. "Yes! And that she's only serving two weeks of her ninety day sentence? That's ridiculous!"

"I know! She's a psycho! Why does she get special treatment? Just because she's 'famous'?" Giuliana giggled. "She hasn't done anything in years!"

"Ridiculous, huh?" Gabriella grinned. "I flipped through this week's tabloid magazine before I put it in your envelope. I took the 'Which Kardashian sister are you?' quiz and got Kourtney. Is that sad?"

Giuliana giggled even harder, shaking her head. "No! That's _so_ funny!"

"I guess so. Mason _is_ the cutest baby, like, ever," Gabriella chuckled. "But I'd much rather be Khloe. She's so… out there. She doesn't care what everyone thinks of her and she's not afraid to speak her mind. Plus, she punched Scott in the face. He's an ass."

"He is! He totally is!" Giuliana agreed. "But I'd rather be Kim. She's a total drama queen, like me, and she's so pretty. She has really nice eyes… and hair."

Gabriella smiled softly. "What are you going to do with that junk?"

"What junk?"

"All that junk in your trunk."

Giuliana laughed out loud. "I don't know!"

It was all Gabriella wanted- to see Giuliana happy again.

After her half-hour with Giuliana Mancini, Gabriella headed next door to visit Abby. She paused outside of the door to the room, afraid of what she was going to see. Would Abby be upset, distraught and disappointed? Would she be connected to multiple machines and fighting for her life? By now, after volunteering for two straight years, Gabriella had seen it all, and so, with all her courage mustered in her chest, Gabriella pushed the door open and truly was shocked at what she saw. Abby wasn't in bed, she wasn't crying, she wasn't fighting for her life, connected to many machines. She wasn't dressed in a hospital gown, pale and frightened. She was wearing a tunic from Forever 21 and a pair of jeans, leaning out of the window.

"Abby," Gabriella began cautiously. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get service in this freaking place. This whole building is like a dead zone," Abby then turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. "Gabriella! I didn't know you were coming today! God, I didn't even get a chance to fix up the place."

Chuckling slightly, Gabriella shook her head. "What? Fix up the place?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? I'm having my Mom's best friend come in on Monday," Abby informed her, sitting back down upon the bed. "She's an interior designer."

"Abby, I really don't think you can do anything to the room."

"Oh, I wasn't going to do anything drastic," Abby informed her. "No painting or anything. I just wanted some curtains, a rug, anything to make this place less death-like."

"Yeah," Gabriella said uneasily. "Good plan."

"Thanks," Abby stated, not really looking for approval. "So what's going on?"

"My Mom told me you passed out in school on Wednesday."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Ugh, that was embarrassing. The best part about being admitted to the hospital is that now, I don't have to show my face again. Did everyone freak out?"

"I don't know, I was out sick." Gabriella told her. "But Taylor told me that Mr. Clawson called 911 and the nurse, and the ambulance got there faster."

Abby laughed. "Figures. The school nurse couldn't even make it to her own door without stopping to take a breath."

After a moment, Abby asked. "So… how's everything at school besides that? Any difficult Calc homework? Is Troy still being an asshole?"

"He's not an asshole, Abby," Gabriella frowned. "I don't know why you think that."

"Yeah, he's not to you," Abby scowled. "He likes you. Troy and I? We hated each other. God, I hate him so much."

"You don't hate him," Gabriella insisted but Abby shook her head violently.

"Yes, I really, really do," Abby turned to her. "Has he even asked about me, Gabriella? Has he asked how I'm doing?"

Gabriella bit her lip. "I tell him about you all the time. How everything's coming along and-"

"Yeah, you _tell_ him. But does he _ask_?" Abby wanted to know, hands on her hips as she stared back with her dull green eyes, waiting for an answer.

Gabriella glanced away. "No."

Abby glanced down at her lap. "That's what I thought."

"But it doesn't mean he doesn't care," Gabriella maintained. "It just means that… Well maybe he…"

"Gabriella, please," She could tell that Abby was getting annoyed with her. "If someone you cared about was in the hospital dying of cancer, wouldn't you ask about them all the time?"

"Well, yeah."

"There you go."

Gabriella didn't feel like talking about Troy anymore. "So what's going on? Why were you admitted to the hospital?"

"Well I passed out because apparently my white blood cell count was like, really, really low," Abby explained unofficially. "So now I'm just hanging out here, because the cancer cells are attacking my bone marrow and making me anemic. Your Mom wants me to get a red blood cell and platelet transfusion in the next couple of weeks, or something, and hopefully that's going to stop it. It probably won't, but hey, it's worth a shot."

Gabriella nodded in understanding. Acute myelogenous leukemia caused normal white blood cells to transform into cancer cells, attacking the bone marrow and making the body anemic, as Abby had just explained. She was already on antibiotics to treat infection, but the transfusions would hopefully help the blood cells return to almost-normal while she waited for a bone marrow transplant. The transfusion of platelets would control the internal bleeding while the transfusion of red blood cells would help fight the anemia. She knew that Abby's white blood cell count was dangerously low, as more and more cells became prone to infection and succumbed to the cancer.

If she didn't have the transfusion and transplant surgery now, she would die.

"Yeah," Gabriella said uneasily. "It's worth a shot."

"So yeah," Abby shrugged nonchalantly. "They have me in here because they have to prep me for this surgery within the next two weeks. Something about taking all of these vitamin supplements and antibiotics. It'll be really fun, I'm sure."

"Sounds it," Gabriella chuckled. "Well anyway, good luck. I'm going to try and get Troy to come and see you."

"Yeah, okay," Abby said bitterly, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I've got a better chance of living than I do of seeing Troy again."

* * *

That evening, Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor were meeting at the new pizza parlor down the street from Chad's house. They hadn't gotten together, the four of them, since school started and they wanted to change that by enjoying a night of pizza, conversation, and laughter. They were immediately seated in a booth by the entrance and once they had placed their order- one giant pepperoni pizza to share- they fell into easy conversation.

"… So then Señora Santos was like, 'Go! Go! Just finish!' Chad was all confused and he goes, 'Cuando yo era niña!'" Taylor laughed hysterically and Gabriella immediately joined in, her Hispanic backgrounds helping her understand the joke while Troy and Chad stared at the two.

"What was so funny about it?" Chad wondered. "The project was about what we used to do as a child, and I answered!"

"Yeah, but you should have said 'Cuando yo era _niño_,'" Gabriella explained. "By saying 'niña,' you actually said, 'When I was a little girl.'"

Taylor burst into laughter again and this time, Troy joined in. "Oh, I get it now!"

"So tell us Chad, what _did_ you do when you were a little girl?" Taylor wondered and Chad scowled.

"Stupid other language," Chad frowned. "Spanish is ridiculous. Why did I even bother taking that class?"

"It's good for you." Taylor informed him. "Spanish is spoken by like, three hundred and eighty million people. Or something like that."

"You know what else is good for me? Understanding my own language," Chad reached into his pocket and produced a crumpled essay. "I got an 'F' on the Hamlet essay!"

"Chad, _you're_ taking AP English?" Troy asked, astounded.

"Yeah, it's easy!"

Taylor lifted the red-marked essay. "Clearly."

Gabriella giggled, reaching for it as she began to skim what he had wrote. "Chad, you completely missed the point of the play."

"No, I didn't!" Chad insisted. "Dude goes crazy because his Dad died and then all he ever does is wear this black cape. He's a little psychotic, if you ask me."

"His father didn't die!" Gabriella laughed. "He was murdered by Hamlet's uncle! Claudius murdered his brother because he wanted to marry Gertrude and be the king. That was like, the third scene!"

"Yeah, and then Hamlet finds out and he has to lure the King into his trap so he can kill him," Taylor explained. "He pretends to be insane and ends up actually turning insane along the way. Did you even read this play at all?"

"Does it look like I did?" Chad groaned and the girls laughed.

"The best part is his title of the essay," Troy grinned, reading aloud from the paper. "'To Be or Not To Be? If that is the question, I must have the answer.'"

"Alright, alright," Chad snatched the paper away to end the mockery. "I'm going to get a two on this AP exam, aren't I?"

"Honey," Taylor chuckled. "You'll be lucky to even score a one."

The pizza arrived then, and while everyone was settled in and eating happily, Taylor asked the million-dollar question. "So… Gabriella, you went to the hospital today, right?"

Troy froze. Gabriella nodded. "Yup."

"How's Abby doing?"

Gabriella swallowed her bite of pizza before answering. "She's doing well, actually. A lot better than I expected. They're prepping her for her red blood cell and platelet transfusion in a couple of weeks. But she's been good. No problems adjusting at all. She and Giuliana have become extremely close, which is all I really wanted."

"That's good," Taylor smiled warmly. "Giuliana needs another friend."

"Yeah, especially one who knows what she's going through." Chad commented and Taylor nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess she said they play board games and watch movies together," Gabriella grinned happily. "She said Wednesday night, when Abby was first admitted, they stayed up all night talking. I'm so, _so_ glad."

"That's so great," Chad chuckled. "You're like a little friend-maker."

"A friend-maker?" Taylor questioned in amusement.

"Yeah, you know, like a matchmaker, but with friends." Chad explained and the group laughed.

All that is, but Troy. Gabriella nudged his arm. "Hey, you've been really quiet. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Troy smiled uneasily. "I'm good."

"Hey, you know I was thinking," Gabriella didn't truly know how to broach the subject. "Abby and I were talking a lot today about you and I was thinking that maybe next time I went to the hospital, you could come with me."

Troy's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Well, you know, to visit her." Gabriella explained. "You two haven't really talked since the breakup and… I just think it would be good for you."

"Gabriella, I can't."

"Why not?" She wondered. "It's not that big of a deal. I mean, I know hospitals can be scary for some people but-"

"Gabriella," He stated, much more adamantly this time as he looked her straight in the eye. "I can't."

"Okay," Gabriella backed down, hoping her normal and composed Troy would return.

He did. He softened around the edges and smiled at her cautiously. "Okay."

"Okay," She repeated. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Troy shrugged. "I just… I can't."

Gabriella nodded, but deep down, she still had one piercing, pressing question.

_Why not?_


	10. Grin and Bear It

**The title for this chapter is so ironic to the chapter's happenings, hahaha. I hope you enjoyed the last one because I'm not sure how you'll feel about this one. Thank you for all the reviews! I just realized that I'm moving to college exactly two weeks from today and I really need to finish this story before I go. So expect this to be updated wayy more frequently from here on out. Thank you! I don't own Maroon 5 or their song "Won't Go Home Without You" and Threads for Heads is just some name I found on the internet. All the hats, too. =)**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Grin and Bear It

**... **

**Grin and Bear It**- An idiom used to describe a situation in which an individual must accept a situation they do not approve of or do not like. Example: Though Giuliana would not be able to trick-or-treat with her friends this Halloween, Gabriella hoped that with her plans she would be able to **grin and bear it**.

**... **

As _Mean Girls_ would call it, "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

It was true, really. Ask any teenager who attended a Halloween party and you could get the lowdown on who wore the skimpiest costume, who hooked up with who, who got smashed during a game of beer pong. Halloween, as time grew on, lost all innocence of childhood; the days when elementary school children would parade around the neighborhood begging for candy in personas such as Disney princesses, ninjas, and Power Rangers were gone with the wind. Gone were the days of coloring bats, ghosts, and goblins in school and carving jack-o-lanterns at home with your family. As a teenager, Halloween meant one thing- partying. Dancing and drinking the night away with your friends was part of being a teenager and part of fitting in to your new world of freedom.

But that was the way normal, healthy teenagers celebrated. How did you celebrate if you were a sickly teenager, bedridden in the hospital with a disease you could not shake?

In the hospital, the nurses and doctors had decorated the hallways of the pediatric oncology unit with cutouts of bats and ghouls, smiling pumpkins, and black and orange streamers, trying their hardest to keep up the spirit of Halloween and to make it as enjoyable as possible. A few of the wackier nurses wore witch's capes and hats upon their heads, delivering candy to each of the patients and promising fun activities that evening, such as pumpkin carving contests in the main lounge and door-to-door trick-or-treating within their floor. Most of the children grinned warmly and buzzed excitedly to their parents and visiting friends, knowing that even though they were spending Halloween in the hospital, they were still guaranteed a great time. Most of the children forgot all about the plans they originally had for this date.

But Giuliana Mancini was very unlike most of the children.

Giuliana had turned thirteen a week earlier and though it should have been a very momentous and joyous occasion- after all, she was officially a teenager- it was momentous for a very different and very difficult reason. Her parents and twin sister had tried to keep her spirits up, but they too knew that this would be her very last birthday. Her mother had sobbed as Giuliana and Angelina shared a birthday cake, knowing that next year, it would be Angelina alone. Her father had tearfully promised a real party next year instead of celebrating in a hospital, all the while knowing Giuliana may not make it through next week. But Giuliana hadn't thought of any of this. The only thing on her mind was the pressing urge that she knew she couldn't rid herself of. She wanted to go to a Halloween party within the next week, like all of her friends.

And the part that was killing her? She knew she couldn't.

Halloween fell on a rainy Saturday that year and even though Gabriella didn't volunteer on the weekends, she paid a visit to the hospital that afternoon because she knew how down Giuliana would be feeling. Her body had been failing her lately- a couple days earlier, her heart had stopped beating for thirty-five seconds before restarting itself, which in turn led to the new machine- a heart monitor. Maria had informed her daughter that Giuliana was entering renal failure as well and that it was only a matter of time before the poor girl passed on. Gabriella, even though she knew everything was happening, refused to accept this as the truth. She still visited Giuliana religiously and held amusing conversations, though Giuliana's breathing was labored and she no longer had the energy for playing games.

Glancing away from the rain splashing against the window of Giuliana's hospital room, Gabriella pulled her jacket closer around her body and smiled. "So, you going to the pumpkin carving contest tonight?"

Giuliana lifted her fatigued eyes and shook her head slowly. "It's so… lame."

"It's not lame!" Gabriella disagreed. "Carving pumpkins is what Halloween is all about."

"Yeah… If you're _three_," Giuliana sighed. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm going to my friend Chad's," Gabriella answered. "With Taylor and Troy."

"Chad… the one with the afro?" She asked and Gabriella nodded.

"That's him," Gabriella giggled. "We're going to watch _Halloween _and _Friday the 13__th_. I'm really nervous; I _hate_ scary movies."

Giuliana nodded, a small smile on her face. "I bet… I bet you'll scream."

Chuckling, Gabriella agreed. "I bet I will too. But Giuls, you shouldn't just sit here tonight. You should do something. You should go to the pumpkin carving thing. It'll be good for you."

"Gabriella, I can't get up even if I wanted to." She pointed out. "But… If I did… That isn't what I'd do. I'd go to a party."

"A party?"

"Yeah," Giuliana's eyes closed in bliss and Gabriella panicked, afraid she wouldn't respond. Finally, she spoke. "I wanna dance again… I wanna meet a guy. I wanna dress like a slut, in lingerie or something."

Gabriella's heart broke for the girl. "I wish you could."

Her eyes opened slowly and when they were in full view, they were full of unshed tears. "Me too."

"But hey, at least you can hang out with Abby tonight, right?" Gabriella tried desperately to lighten the mood. "You two can do something together. I'm sure she thinks the pumpkin thing is lame too."

Giuliana huffed. "I wish I could! She's going into… surgery tonight. Some transplant… thing."

"Oh, that's right," How could Gabriella forget about Abby's platelet transfusion? "Well… I don't know. But you'll figure it out, right?"

Instead of answering, Giuliana looked Gabriella straight in the eye. "I wish I could go to my friend's Halloween party tonight. But… I'm ready to die, Gabriella. It's okay."

"Giuliana, stop talking like that."

"No, I'm serious," She sighed, inhaling and exhaling as evenly as she could. "I'm not afraid anymore. I don't… I don't hate my sister anymore. It hurts… It hurts and I'm ready for it to stop hurting."

Gabriella felt tears well up in her eyes as Giuliana closed her eyes and asked, "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Sing," Giuliana smiled. "Sing to me."

"What should I sing?"

"I don't know," Giuliana shrugged. "Britney Spears, Black Eyed Peas, anything."

Gabriella bit her lip. "_I asked her to stay, but she wouldn't listen. She left before I had the chance to say_."

Cracking an eye open, Giuliana laughed slightly. "That's about a couple, not about a girl dying."

"Not right now, it isn't," Gabriella decided, continuing. "_The words that would mend the things that were broken. But now it's far too late, she's gone away_."

"_Every night you cry yourself to sleep_," Gabriella sang, knowing the words of the song may be about a couple breaking up, but they couldn't fit better to this situation. "_Thinking, 'Why does this happen to me?' Why does every moment have to be so hard? Hard to believe it._"

"_It's not over tonight. Just give me one more chance to make it right_," Gabriella promised. "_I may not make it through the night. I won't go home without you_."

After her heartfelt moment with Giuliana, Gabriella immediately flew to the pay phone in the lobby of the hospital. Her fingers shook over the metal numbers as she dialed his number mindlessly, memory taking flight. He answered within one ring. "_Hello?_"

"I need you to meet me at Threads for Heads. _Now_."

* * *

The moment Troy saw Gabriella, he engulfed her in a hug. "What's going on? You sounded so freaked out on the phone."

Gabriella shook her head, snuggling deeper into his chest. "It's nothing. And I'm sorry about sounding so urgent. I just wanted to make sure I did this before… the day's over."

Troy sensed otherwise but decided against pursuing it. "Okay. So what's with the hat store? You need a costume for tonight's movie marathon?"

Shaking her head, a small smile formed on her face as she yanked the door to the hat retailer open, stepping inside to beat the rain. "No, thank you very much. But if you need one, you've come to the right place."

Troy laughed. "I'm good, thanks."

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully as she stepped up to the counter, an overly bored Asian man barely glancing up to greet her. "Hi, my name's Gabriella Montez and I'm representing the Kids Against Cancer association here in Albuquerque. I volunteer at the hospital not far from here and I was wondering if you would be willing to make a donation of hats to the patients in the oncology ward. As you probably now, chemotherapy causes the children to lose their hair and as kids, it makes them a little uneasy and embarrassed. We, at the hospital, feel that with these hats, they will be able to feel better about their disease and hopefully fight it off in the future."

The man blinked. "What a convincing speech. Did you practice that one?"

Gabriella's eyes widened. "No. It was spoken from the heart."

Even though every word was true, Troy could sense she was lying and tried hard not to crack a smile.

The salesclerk sighed. "How do I know you're not just two teenagers looking for a free Halloween costume?"

Gabriella frowned. "I have my hospital I.D. with me and three physician's signatures. Plus, a couple of photos of the kids you'll be donating to. Some of them don't even have that much time left…"

She presented her evidence to the man as she trailed off and watched as her words sunk in. The man's eyes suddenly glossed over and he glanced up. "Yes, yes, of course. Please, take as many as you want. Give my thoughts and regards to all of your patients."

Grinning successfully, Gabriella nodded. "Thank you so much, sir. Your gift is very well appreciated."

Ushering an astounded Troy away, Gabriella's cheerful grin turned into a wicked one. "That was _so_ easy."

"Where did you learn to lie like that?" Troy whispered in shock.

Gabriella laughed. "It' s not lying, it's _acting_. Besides, it's not like it isn't true. This is a donation to the pediatric oncology ward. But this way, we can get whatever we want and _we_ don't have to pay for it."

Troy chuckled, truly proud. "Touché."

"Okay, so what we're really doing here is that I promised Giuliana that I'd take her hat shopping when she started losing her hair," Gabriella explained, sifting through the colorful baseball caps and sun hats. "But by the time she lost all of it, she was so sick she couldn't get out of bed. I was intent on keeping my promise but… I didn't really want to do this alone."

Troy smiled warmly. "Gabriella, you truly are the most amazing person I know."

Blushing furiously, she glanced away. "Thanks. I just… I really want to make her smile, you know?"

"Of course," Troy nodded and then grinned. "And I think I found the hats we're looking for. Come on."

Troy grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the rows and rows of colorful and strange hats in the back of the store. There was an array of crazy-looking hats, from replicas of famous monuments to the same hat that the Cat in the Hat and Uncle Sam wore. Gabriella grinned madly as she noticed the knit wraparound hat with a variety of colorful plastic fruit- bananas, grapes, apples, strawberries and blueberries hung from black net. Gabriella felt herself reach for the hat and cradle it in her arms, knowing it was the exact one that Giuliana had described to her.

"This one," Gabriella breathed. "I don't care what else we get. But we _have_ to get this one."

"Um, I think we need this one too," Troy grinned, lifting the hat and fitting it over his head.

Gabriella turned and burst out laughing. It was a knit cap with a full rainbow ballooning and arching over the top of his head, a pot of gold on the left side, just above the ear. "That is priceless. Add that to the collection."

"I think we also need various straw hats," Troy voiced, chucking a red, purple, and blue straw hat into the cart they had acquired.

"No no, look at _this_ one!" Gabriella could barely speak she was laughing so hard. On top of her head sat a giant chili pepper.

Troy laughed. "Which Red Hot Chili Pepper are you? Anthony? Josh? Chad?"

"Um, you forgot Flea, and there is no way I would want to be anyone _but_ the insect," Gabriella laughed, tossing the hat into the cart. "Ooh! I want this one! It's a giant cow that just… sits on your head!"

"I've got a good one!" Troy called from the next aisle and Gabriella nearly doubled over with laughter as he emerged with a giant sombrero and maracas. "_Ba ba bamba! Ba ba bamba!_"

"You would make a great Celia Cruz, Troy," Gabriella giggled, tears pouring from her eyes. "I'm adding the giant cowboy hat and the sequined jester hat to the cart too, by the way."

Troy laughed. "Good, those caught my eye as well."

A moment later, Troy picked up the next hat. "Look at this one! It's an ash tray with a cigarette hanging out… Probably not the best thing to bring to a hospital, huh?"

"Not likely," Gabriella grinned. "A couple more? Then we'll head to the hospital?"

Troy panicked but tried desperately to not let it show. "We?"

Gabriella's deep brown eyes lifted to meet his cobalt stare. "You're not going to come with me?"

It had been so long since someone had depended on him. Troy's head was swimming in a million thoughts as his eyes continued to run over Gabriella's pleading features. Of course he would love to accompany her on her journey and delivering the hats to Giuliana would most likely make him- and Gabriella- feel good. But visiting the hospital meant most likely coming into contact with Abby, and he wasn't sure he could do that. At the present moment in time, he was wrestling with the fear of seeing Abby in the intensely vulnerable state he knew she would be in and the fact that Gabriella so badly wanted his company at the hospital that evening. As usual, Gabriella won.

"Of course I'll come with you," Troy assured her. "I just… I was just making sure."

They chose a giant top hat, a scarlet velvet hat that resembled flowerbox- a giant sunflower sticking out, and the classic Viking hat with the faux yellow braids before thanking the man at the front desk and heading to their respective vehicles. With four large bags of hats, Troy and Gabriella signed into the visitor's section of the pediatric ward and navigated their way to Giuliana's hospital room, not a bit deterred that it was sealed tight. Gabriella knocked twice and without waiting for a meek response, she pushed the door open and grinned upon seeing Giuliana in the same position as before, save for the lollipop she was suckling on. When she opened her eyes, her face grew a perplexed expression.

"Gabriella? I didn't know you were coming back," She spoke softly, her voice raspy. "Who's your friend?"

"Giuliana, this is Troy," Gabriella's eyes glimmered. "Troy, this is my friend Giuliana."

"Hey," Troy smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you."

A smile grew on her face. "Troy? Nice to meet you too! Gabriella told me… so much… about you!"

"She's told me a lot about you too," Troy chuckled. "We brought you a present."

"A present?" She tried to pull herself into a sitting position and found it difficult. "What is it?"

"Remember when I told you I would take you hat shopping?" Gabriella grinned, placing her two bags on the bed as Troy followed suit. "Well, unfortunately you couldn't come, but that doesn't mean we couldn't get you some cool hats."

Giuliana's eyes scanned the contents of the bag curiously. "They're for me?"

Nodding, Gabriella affirmed. "All of them."

Lifting her thin, pale arms, she reached out for one of the bags and struggled to pull out the hats. Her eyes glossed over as she pulled out the sombrero and maracas, the giant cowboy hat, the rainbow hat. The next bag held the three straw hats, red, pink, and blue. The third bag revealed the rainbow hat, the Viking hat, the chili pepper. And the fourth bag held the giant cow, the sequined jester hat, the flowerbox, the top hat and last but certainly not least, the knit hat with the fruit salad on top. She dragged her exhausted features over each of the hats on her bed and noticed that they almost consumed her. Her eyes filled with grateful tears and a wide grin spread across her face. There were no words to describe how eternally grateful she was.

"Thank you," She grinned. "Thank you _so_ much!"

Giuliana reached for the fruit hat, slipping it over her smooth scalp. "How does it look?"

"Great," Gabriella cried, wiping a tear from her eye.

Troy smiled softly. "You look beautiful."

This seemed to excite her and Giuliana gestured, as she could, towards the other hats. "Well come on! Try… Try some on!"

Troy reached for the giant top hat. "I'm kind of partial to this one, actually."

Chuckling, Gabriella decided to go for the cowboy hat. "What do you say, partner?"

"This town… This town ain't big enough…" Giuliana trailed off, becoming so winded she could barely speak. But she smiled despite this fact and whispered, "For… the two of us."

_The two of us_.

Gabriella felt like sobbing. She knew there wasn't much time left for the two of them.

"Abby's going for surgery at seven," Giuliana said softly a moment later. "If… If you want to see her first."

Gabriella caught out of the corner of her eye the way Troy tensed when Abby's name was brought into conversation. "Oh, you're right. I've got to go wish her good luck. Troy? You coming?"

Something flashed behind Troy's eyes and Gabriella was about to call him out on it. But he spoke too soon for her to confront him. "I would, but I'd rather stay here with Giuliana. We're kinda having a great time with these hats."

"Yeah," The thirteen-year-old agreed. "Don't steal him from me… Please?"

"Alright," Gabriella sighed. "I'll be back soon."

Gathering her purse- but not bothering to remove the giant cowboy hat- Gabriella yanked the door to the room open and softly shut it, taking a few steps to the left and knocking on Abby's door. As to be expected, the room was bustling with activity. Her mother was in the corner with two other doctors, prepping themselves on the logistics of the surgery as nurses helped Abby. Abby Miller's parents stood by the bed, crying and praying to God that their daughter's surgery would be successful and she would once again be restored to good health. And Abby sat on the corner of the bed, looking a little green. Gabriella was not at all shocked when she reached next to her for the pale pink plastic bucket before hunching over and vomiting violently. Gabriella yanked a few Kleenex from the box and offered them to her in consolation when she finished.

"Gabriella?" Abby's voice was raw and raspy. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I had to," She smiled, handing her the tissues. "Are you okay?"

"Sure," She chuckled. "I wish you hadn't seen me throw up, though."

"Me too," Gabriella joked and Abby chuckled slightly.

"What's with the hat?"

Gabriella felt the brim of her oversized cowboy hat and chuckled. "Oh, it's a long story. So, are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," She said honestly. "I just hope the damn thing works. I'm sick of puking for no reason."

Before Abby could respond, a nurse cleared a path in the three other people surrounding the bed and began to insert the I.V. into her arm. "Okay Abby, you ready? We're going to give you a general anesthetic. I'll let you know once I've administered it."

"Okay," Abby watched as the needle pierced her skin, the anesthetic seeped through her bloodstream. "I'll see you guys later?"

Her parents kissed her and left the room solemnly. Gabriella nodded. "Good luck. I'll be praying for you."

Abby shot her a slow, sluggish smile. "Thanks."

"Okay Abby, I'm going to need you to count backwards from ten." The nurse informed her.

"Ten, nine, eight," Abby fell back against her pillow. "Seven… Six."

She was fast asleep before she hit five. Gabriella watched her for a moment before feeling a warm hand on her shoulder. Turning to find her mother, Gabriella pleaded, "Please take care of her."

Maria smiled. "I will, sweetheart. I always do."

Upon returning to Giuliana's room, where she and Troy were giggling like school girls, Gabriella uttered, "We should probably head to Chad's. It's getting pretty late."

"Don't go yet," Giuliana pleaded. Gabriella could see how exhausted she was. Her skin was so discolored it was almost purple, her eyelids were sunken, her entire visage just looked… painful.

"I have to, Giuls," Gabriella informed her, reaching out and holding her hand. "But I'll be back tomorrow, I promise."

Something in Giuliana's eyes changed and they began to fill with tears. "You're the best… The best friend I ever had, Gabriella. I really had… A lot of fun with you. Tell… Tell Amanda I'm sorry… For being a bitch to her at first… And promise me… You'll tell me what scary movies are like… I've never seen one."

Gabriella shook her head. "I will, Giuls, I will. I'll tell you tomorrow and then I'll call Amanda and you can tell her you're sorry. Everything's going to be okay."

Still, the thirteen-year-old ignored her optimism. "The scrapbook… is in the drawer… next to my bed. You know… You know what to do with it. I love… I love you like a sister."

"I love you like a sister too," Gabriella smiled. "And I promise you, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She bent down and hugged Giuliana so tightly she was afraid she'd break the fragile girl in half. As she retreated through the door, Troy waiting patiently for her, she promised again. "I'll see you tomorrow, Giuliana."

Giuliana's tears spilled over her cheeks. "Goodbye, Gabriella."

* * *

"Don't go in there… Don't do it… Damn it! Don't you listen?"

"No, not over there! He's in there!"

"Oh shit, scary music. That can't be a good sign-"

"Ahh!"

Gabriella and Taylor jumped as Freddy Krueger found his victim, shrieking and shielding their eyes from the gruesome scene as she was slain. Chad chuckled and wrapped his arms more tightly around his girlfriend, all the while Taylor was slapping him for not seeing what could possibly be funny. Gabriella was clinging so tightly to Troy's hand it was turning white from force, which he found slightly amusing. He kissed her temple, assuring her safety, and yet she still shivered as Freddy Krueger chased the girl with his weapon brandished. Okay, so maybe this horror movie marathon _wasn't_ such a great idea.

"Did I not tell her not to go in there?" Chad asked. "Is she _mental?_"

"Oh, do you have one of those newfangled TVs where the people can hear you speaking?" Troy asked sarcastically, giving Gabriella's hand a squeeze.

"You know," Chad quipped. "That would _not_ be such a bad idea. You could talk to the actors and nothing would ever have a bad ending again! Think about it! You could talk them out of dying, breaking up, killing people- it's perfect!"

"It's impossible," Taylor chuckled. "How would that ever work? You'd be talking to glass."

"I don't know _how_ it would work; I just think it's a good idea." Chad shrugged.

"Sure," Gabriella shook her head, smiling. "I can see how you would think that."

Despite the obvious sarcasm in her voice, Chad grinned. "See guys? Gabriella _always_ supports me. You need to take friend lessons from her."

"You and I are more than friends," Taylor winked suggestively. "So that's a no for me."

"Wait a minute, _I_ need to take friend lessons?" Troy asked aggressively. "After everything I've done for you?"

"Yeah, you don't support any of my ideas!"

"Well excuse me for thinking a couch that doubles as a refrigerator and a toilet is a bad idea!"

"Hey! That was one of my _greatest_ ideas!"

"It was also one of the stupidest!"

A cell phone rang into the silly argument and Gabriella had to catch her breath from laughing so hard to realize it was hers. She reached into her purse, excused herself from the group and stood to answer the call. At first, there was silence at the other end, but it didn't take long for the person on the other line to explain the situation that Gabriella needed to be informed of. The caller had said it so calmly, as if it were strictly business, which, technically, it was. But Gabriella hadn't taken it that way. At first she was calm. Then she was horrified and stricken.

She ended the call and the phone dropped from her hand. Tears were falling fast as she turned back to the group, Chad and Taylor already glancing at her in concern and Troy already at her side. She didn't know what to do or say. She couldn't breathe. Troy's arms encircled her and guided her over to the couch, sitting her down beside him as he rubbed her arm, encouraging her to speak. She didn't know if she could. The tears were coming and they weren't going to stop. She felt like screaming, she felt like vomiting, she felt like _dying_. She also felt like sobbing but she didn't have to tell her body to do that. The grief was too hard to bear.

"Gabriella," Troy cooed. "What is it?"

"That was… That was my Mom." Gabriella spoke, her voice surprisingly even. "Giuliana's dead."


	11. Heart of Glass

**Yeah. I'm really really sorry about the month-long wait again. Things got insanely crazy because I had a lot of packing to do for college and then I had to actually move in to college and then classes started and AHHH. But now I'm settled. So I will try- try being the key word, here- to get these out much more regularly. But I'm not promising anything.**

**Do enjoy. Do review. And I've very sorry, again. =)**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Heart of Glass

**... **

**Heart of Glass**- An idiom used to express when someone is very easily affected emotionally. Example: Gabriella and Abby were psychologically shattered, first from the death of Giuliana and then from the news that Abby's transfusion didn't take. It was enough to turn Abby into an emotionally-stricken **heart of glass**.

**... **

The day Giuliana Mancini died, a piece of Abigail Miller did too.

She had been still groggy from surgery when Dr. Maria Montez and her daughter Gabriella entered her hospital recovery room, mouths drawn tight, faces solemn and bearing a kind of unimaginable grief. Maria, though heartbroken, was a professional and knew she couldn't let this type of vulnerability show. Gabriella was a mess. Abby had tried to sit up but couldn't; the weight of the machines tying her down too difficult to overcome so soon. Maria informed her to lie back, they had awful news. Abby couldn't figure out what she was speaking of.

The way Gabriella was threading the rim of that ridiculous cowboy hat through her fingers was enough.

If someone had a mental image of Abigail Miller now and Abigail Miller then, there would be a serious transformation. Abigail Miller then would be tall, blonde, and beautiful. She would be happy and smiling, her green eyes twinkling in the sunlight and wouldn't have a care in the world. The image of Abigail Miller now would have to be crumpled up and dragged through the mud a few times, stamped on and torn before it would like what she does now. She was battered and broken after too many months of handling grief and despair.

A week passed before Gabriella returned to visit Abby, tears in her eyes as she passed her a small envelope. Inside, Abby found a yearbook photo of Giuliana Mancini from the previous year and a brief invitation to the memorial services for the young girl. Gabriella had explained that the service was the following day and that she had received her invitation days earlier, but hadn't been able to look at it. There was no doubt in Abby's mind that she would be attending.

She had been released from the hospital two days after her surgery and was now living in a walking shell in her household. Her mother had taken a leave of absence from work to look after her and her father called innumerous times in the day to check up on her. Abby didn't want to be watched every second of every day. She wanted to be treated like a normal teenager. She wanted to go back to school and hang out with her friends. She wanted her life back.

Instead of a platelet transfusion, could she sign up for an implantation of a normal life?

Giuliana's funeral was on a Sunday afternoon. The morning before, Abby had an appointment at the hospital to check up on her transfusion and how it was taking to her body. Abby wasn't expecting anything less than a perfect health report. She felt completely normal; no light-headedness, no dizziness or vomiting, and she felt so much better than she had a week ago. She had texted Gabriella that morning asking if she would be there, but had gotten the negative, learning that Gabriella only volunteered during the week and not on weekends. Well, she couldn't have everything.

Stepping back into the hospital was like walking into hell. The smells haunted her and the people greeted her on a first-name basis, signifying that she had been there too long before. She knew that it took the elevator exactly twenty-one seconds to get to the oncology floor without any stops in between and she knew that Dr. Montez's office was room number 329. It only took two knocks for her to answer the door. She liked sitting in the chair on the right because it was cushier than the one on the left. It was things like these that made her cringe. She shouldn't know all of this.

But then again, she shouldn't be in this position at all.

"Good morning, Abby!" Maria grinned. "Sarah, how are you doing?"

Her mother nodded, tears already forming in her eyes. "As well as I can, I guess."

"And Abby? You're doing okay?" Maria asked, beginning to check her vitals. "No dizziness, swelling, fainting?"

"Nope."

"Any fevers? Headaches? Lightheadedness?" Maria asked next, preparing a thermometer and sticking it beneath Abby's tongue.

"No," Abby answered. "I've felt pretty good."

"Any unusual feeling I should know about?" Maria inquired, withdrawing the thermometer when it beeped. "98.9. Not too bad. As long as that doesn't rise; it does look like you're on the brink of a low-grade fever."

"I've felt good all week," Abby repeated. "Except that I have to go to a funeral tomorrow."

Maria's hands stilled on Abby's neck, where she was feeling her lymph nodes. Abby could tell just through the way that she had started working again, albeit much more slowly, that Maria was heartbroken she couldn't have saved Giuliana. She truly felt for her; there is no way Abby could ever take what Maria saw day after day. The worst part about the situation was that there was no way she could've saved her; Giuliana was doomed from the start. They could have all the optimism in the world and it still wasn't going to change the outcome.

"Gabriella's going too," Maria stated quietly. "She and Giuliana were really close."

"Giuls and I were really close too," Abby sighed. "Dr. Maria, are you going tomorrow?"

Maria glanced up pensively before shaking her head. "It's actually deemed unprofessional if a doctor attends a patient's funeral. If we go to one, we'll have to go to all of them. So… No, Abby, I won't be there."

"Oh," Abby frowned. "Well that sucks."

Maria chuckled lightly. "I guess it does."

About a half hour later, Maria dimmed the lights and brought up a graph on her projector screen, showing Abby the results of her white blood cell count that week. This was the moment of truth. It would tell everyone whether Abby's platelet transfusion had been helpful in warding off the formation of new cancer cells or if it had all been in vain. Maria typed in her results and before long, a new graph popped up on the screen, displaying all of Abby's information- her white blood cell count, the amount of bone marrow affected, her blood pressure, and so on. Abby was not an expert and she honestly didn't know what this said.

Maria stood and sighed. That was never a good thing.

"Abby," Maria began, gravely. "The antibiotics we started you on before the transfusion did stop the internal bleeding in your bone marrow. However, by the time the antibiotics kicked in, the infection had already spread."

"Where?" Abby dared to ask.

Maria held her gaze. "Everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Abby asked incredulously. "No, that's not… That's impossible! I feel fine!"

"You may feel fine," Maria pointed towards the screen. "But you're _not_ fine. Unfortunately, the transfusion didn't do much help. The red blood cells and platelets that we added to your bone marrow and blood stream only went so far. They're doing a pretty good job of holding you over for now, but there is no way you're going to survive this without a bone marrow transplant."

"I've added you to the list," Maria finished. "And I have to officially diagnose you as having stage four acute myelogenous leukemia. I'm so sorry."

Abby's mother broke down in sobs as the seventeen-year-old girl stared at her doctor. "So… So you're saying this didn't… take? The transfusion didn't work?"

"Not exactly," The doctor began to explain. "The transfusion did take, but there's only so much it can do for so long. It's like building a straw house in front of the Hoover Dam. Eventually, it's going to break through."

Abby gulped. "And then?"

"And then," Maria sighed. "There's nothing we can do."

* * *

"What do you think of this one?" Taylor asked, pulling yet another dress from her closet and holding it in front of her, asking her best friend's opinion. "Does it look wedding-y?"

Gabriella looked over the pallid dress that fell mid-thigh, buttons to the stomach where it flowed into a full skirt. It had a lace design along the hem and it was spaghetti strapped, perfect for the Indian summer they were having at the beginning of November. "Sure, it's white. Why not?"

Taylor could sense her friend's reluctance. "I only have a couple more to show you. Then we can figure out what you're going to wear tomorrow."

"It's a funeral, Tay," Gabriella frowned. "I'm going to wear black."

"Yeah, but do you know which black dress you're going to wear?" Taylor asked. "You have a lot. The one you wore to the winter semi-formal last year would be good."

"It's strapless!" Gabriella exclaimed and Taylor chuckled.

"You could wear a cardigan," Taylor suggested. "Okay, this isn't about dresses. What's wrong, girl?"

"Nothing, I guess," Gabriella sighed. "It's just all the bad news in my life lately. Mom's really upset because she couldn't save Giuliana. Giuliana passed away. Abby's transfusion didn't really do anything to help her. Everything is just so… bleak."

Taylor placed the dresses she was choosing between on the back of her desk chair and collapsed on the bed beside her best friend. "Yeah, I know, Gabriella. It's really awful. I can't even imagine what anyone could say to make you feel better. It's hard. If I could, you know I would be there with you tomorrow in a heartbeat."

"Yeah, I know. I'm so jealous of you, Taylor."

"Why? Because I get to go to the wedding of an aunt I only see on Christmas and Thanksgiving?" Taylor asked with a laugh.

Gabriella smiled softly. "No. Because you don't know what it's like to watch someone die."

Taylor nodded. "I know. It must be so difficult."

"It is," Gabriella sighed. "It was hard the first time, with Giuliana. Now, it's happening again."

"I really commend you for making friends with Abby, have I ever told you that?" Taylor stated and Gabriella looked up at her, a small smile beginning to form. "I really do. Not too many people would be begging to be friends with their future boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. I'm really proud of you."

"Future boyfriend?" Gabriella asked with an odd smile.

Taylor grinned. "You must like him a lot. _A lot_."

"I do, Taylor," Gabriella admitted. "Troy means a lot to me. I've always had a crush on him- you know that- but this… This is just deeper than that. I don't know how to explain it. It's kind of like making amends for the summer. I feel like I need to be on Abby's good side after what Troy and I did to her this summer."

"You didn't do anything to her," Taylor stated. "Directly, anyway. And she doesn't even know about it."

"I know," Gabriella agreed. "I just… I feel awful. I was so selfish and now… Now she's dying. It wouldn't be okay even if she wasn't dying, but she is and it's just _so_ much worse!"

"Gabriella," Taylor tried to calm her hysterical friend. "Troy cares a lot about you too. It's obvious. That's why he kissed you. Besides, they're not even going out anymore. You don't have to feel guilty."

"But I do," Gabriella pleaded with Taylor to understand. "And Troy still can't let go. I don't know what it is with him, but he can't do it. He won't go see her and he won't move any more forward with me. He's stuck. He's stuck and… I don't know what to do to help him."

Taylor wrapped her arms around Gabriella in a hug. "I don't know if there's anything you _can_ do, Gabriella. I think you just have to let Troy figure it out for himself."

Gabriella pulled away and sighed. "I guess so. Do you think he can do it?"

Taylor smiled. "If he really likes you, I _know_ he can."

A moment later, Gabriella cracked a smile. "You were really considering that polka dot dress?"

Taylor snatched the fabric from her best friend in embarrassment. "It was an option! Guess I won't wear it, then."

"Stick with the white one, Taylor," Gabriella chuckled. "Polka dots are a bit… much."

"Yeah, well-" Her comeback was interrupted as Gabriella's cell phone sang its way into the conversation. Gabriella reached for it and her eyes glittered upon realizing it was Troy.

"Hello?"

"_Hey, Gabriella. What's going on?_"

"Nothing much, just hanging out at Taylor's." Gabriella answered nonchalantly. Taylor rolled her eyes. "What's up?"

"_I actually was calling because I couldn't remember the Physics homework. Is that lab due on Monday?_"

"I knew you were only using me for homework," Gabriella teased and Troy chuckled.

"_Glad it's out in the open!_"

Giggling, she nodded. "The lab is due Monday. Other than that, we didn't have homework. There's a test on Kinematics on Wednesday, though, so studying would probably be a good idea."

"_Another one? Didn't we just have a test?_"

"Yeah, but you know how much she loves grading tests," Gabriella laughed. "She has nothing better to do with her time."

"_Probably. She probably sits home with ten cats. Anyway, what are you and Taylor up to today? Anything exciting?_"

"Just picking out a dress for her to wear to her aunt's wedding tomorrow," Gabriella informed him. "I need something to wear, too, for the funeral."

"_Oh shit, that's tomorrow? How are you, Gab? You okay?_"

Gabriella shrugged. "I've been better. I wish I didn't have to go. I wish Giuliana was still alive."

"_Oh, I know. I'm so sorry, Gabriella._"

"Thanks," She sighed and then, as an idea, she proposed, "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Taylor's eyes widened and she mouthed, "_What are you doing?_"

"_Nothing, unless I don't finish this lab. Why, do you want support? I can come to the funeral with you, if you want._"

Gabriella could've cried. "I'd love that. Thank you."

"_You're welcome._" After a pause, he spoke again. "_Is… Abby's not going to be there, is she?_"

"Of course she is," Gabriella answered. "Giuliana was her friend too."

"_Oh_," Troy sighed and then, "_Well I'm going to go finish this lab, okay?_"

"Okay," Gabriella smiled. "See you tomorrow, then?"

An even longer pause, this time. "_Sure_."

As Gabriella hung up, Taylor stared incredulously at her. "What?"

"Are you crazy?" Taylor asked. "Bringing Troy to Giuliana's funeral?"

"What?" Gabriella asked. "_You_ were going to go!"

"Yeah, but I don't have an emotional connection to Abby!" Taylor pointed out and then softened. "You don't honestly see how this could be a potential disaster?"

"No, Taylor. I don't." Gabriella stated firmly, adamantly.

Well, she was about to.

* * *

The parking lot at St. Peter's church was filled with various brands and types of cars. Mourners filled the parking lot, the church steps, and the anteroom. It was hard to believe that a young, thirteen-year-old girl would have touched so many lives in the short time she had been on this Earth. Gabriella stepped out of her car and shivered in the cool November wind. She hadn't recognized anyone yet, but could tell that most of the mourners must be Giuliana's friends from school, since no one looked older than thirteen. She nodded at them, some were hysterical, some were mute, and walked slowly up the steps to the church.

Immediately, she was greeted with Giuliana's smiling face- her yearbook photo from the year before was blown up to massive proportions and a guestbook was lying directly beneath on the table. There were prayer cards stacked by the guestbook and many guests were taking one. Gabriella did too, just because she felt that if she didn't, she would be the outcast. Still, she didn't recognize a single soul. She did not see Giuliana's parents and twin sister Angelina, but she was sure that if she did, she's break into tears instantly.

In her arms she held two things- the hat with the various fruits upon it and the scrapbook Giuliana had made in her final few months in the hospital. She knew both would come in handy that day. A moment later, she finally recognized a face in the crowd. Abby Miller hurried over to her and the two embraced, mourning a special friend together. They entered the church and immediately saw the line of black leading up to the casket where people were paying their final respects to the fallen girl. Gabriella wasn't sure she could handle it, but remained in line, determined.

When it was finally her turn, she approached the small wooden casket and almost sobbed at the sight. Her parents had decided upon an open casket for the girl and Giuliana couldn't have looked more angelic. She was wearing a pink satin gown that Gabriella remembered seeing a picture of, Giuliana informing her that she wore it to the seventh grade semi-formal dance. Her eyes were no longer purple-rimmed and sunken, but now blissfully closed, her body one hundred percent at peace. Her hands were folded upon her stomach and there was an almost-smile on her face. Gabriella believed she looked absolutely perfect.

"Giuliana," She began, her voice breaking over her name. "I should've listened to you when you said that you were ready to die. I should've known that you wouldn't be there the next day when I came back. I wish there could've been more time for you and I. I wish that things didn't have to end this way. You were so much fun and I'll never, ever forget you. The first time… The first time we met was so hard at first. You didn't want to talk to me because you were so angry at the world for giving you cancer. You told me… You told me you hated your sister because she didn't have cancer and you did. But I knew it wasn't the truth. I knew I would break you."

"Saying goodbye to you is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, Giuls," Gabriella continued. "We've had so much fun. We used to listen to the same music, watch those crazy reality shows, read ridiculous magazines, and even had a dance contest, once. We went out for ice cream, wore crazy hats and drove Amanda crazy with our pranks. It was the greatest way to spend an afternoon. And though I'm not supposed to have favorite patients, you were always the one, Giuls. You were my favorite. You still are. No one will ever, _ever_ replace you."

"So I want you to promise me something," Gabriella cried, catching her tears before they splashed onto Giuliana's perfect face. "I want you to tell me what Heaven's like. When I get there, I want you to show me the ropes. I want you to promise me that you'll wait for me and that we'll have as much fun up there as we did down here. I love you, Giuliana. I'm going to miss you so, so much. There will never come a day when I don't think of you."

As she began to walk away, she remembered something. "Oh, and by the way, scary movies are exactly what they say they are. Scary."

Her chest heaved with sobs as she tucked the fruit hat beneath Giuliana's arm. Quietly, she stepped away from the casket so Abby could have a turn and came face to face with Giuliana's parents and sister. "I'm so, so sorry."

They were distraught, but still managed a handshake. "Thank you for coming."

To give Abby privacy, Gabriella decided to retreat to the anteroom to look for Troy. He was nowhere to be found and the text messages she sent him had yet to be answered. Waiting almost a half hour, Gabriella wasn't sure what was keeping him. Had he gotten lost? She was sure he didn't, and even if he had there was a GPS installed in his car, she knew for sure. Had she given him the wrong address? No, there was only one St. Peter's church in the area. Gabriella was insanely confused and was forced to stare out the window, looking blindly for him.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bid farewell to Giuliana Isabella Mancini…"

"Gabriella?" Abby's voice tore her gaze away from the window. "We're starting."

"I'm coming," Gabriella said dejectedly, following her friend to a pew inside.

An hour later, immediately following the ceremony, the burial service took place at the cemetery just a few roads over. Most of the procession followed the hearse to the cemetery where Giuliana would be laid to rest. Gabriella decided to let Troy know of this service as well, hoping he would at least make it to the burial. As a group stood around Giuliana's grave, her casket slowly being lowered into the ground, Gabriella waited for the familiar buzzing in her purse to let her know of Troy's whereabouts.

It didn't.

Giuliana's parents and sister each threw a handful of dirt and a rose into the ground when the casket reached the bottom. The priest said a handful of prayers before the service ended. Abby turned away, but faced Gabriella when she didn't budge. "What's wrong? You still waiting for Troy to show?"

"No," Gabriella sighed. "I have to give something to Giuliana's parents, that's all."

Abby smiled. "I'll wait for you."

"Thanks."

She slowly approached the threesome, who was shaking so hard they could've been knocked over by a small gust of wind. She smiled softly and extended the scrapbook Giuliana had made. "Hi, I don't know if you know me. My name's Gabriella Montez. I volunteer at the hospital and I got to know Giuliana very well over the last few months. She wanted me to give you this."

Her parents couldn't bear to accept it, but Angelina Mancini lifted a hand and took the scrapbook into her own. Opening the cover, she realized that this was a photographic memoir of Giuliana's life, beginning from the day she was born to the week before she died- her thirteenth birthday. There were photographs and colored pictures and projects from elementary school, report cards, deflated balloons, glitter, and confetti. It was clear that Giuliana had taken a lot of time and effort into making this special for her family.

Angelina looked up at Gabriella and smiled. "Thank you."

All Gabriella could see was Giuliana.

A little while later, as Gabriella and Abby were walking back to their respective vehicles, a text buzzed on Gabriella's phone. She lifted it to see what it contained and grinned upon the small message of "_I'm here_." Yes, she was angry beyond belief that Troy had missed the funeral and the burial, but she could deal with that later. Right now, all she needed was comfort and moral support. She had just witnessed a very good friend perish and she didn't want to deal with that alone. But when she glanced up, her cool brown eyes met the dark eyes of Chad Danforth, not Troy.

She glanced at her phone again and realized the text message was from Chad.

"Hi Gabriella," Chad wasted no time in giving her a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Sure," She hugged back quickly before pulling away. "Where's Troy?"

Chad hesitated. "Hey Abby, what's going on?"

"Chad," She nodded curtly. "I'm fine. You?"

"Great."

"Good."

"Chad," Gabriella interrupted. "Not that I don't love your company, but where is Troy?"

"Troy…" Chad trailed off. "Troy couldn't make it. He said something came up. But he sent me instead, to make sure you're okay. You're okay, right?"

Gabriella frowned. This was so sickeningly _typical_. She was surprised she hadn't seen this coming in the first place. Troy had some insecurity issue with being in the same vicinity as Abby and therefore couldn't come support her because Abby would be there. At first, she was all for Taylor's theory of letting him come to terms with things on his own. But now, she was so unbelievably _angry_ that she didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't just let this go. She had to let him know how immature and ridiculous he was being in this situation.

"No," Gabriella fumed. "I am most certainly _not_ okay."

And with that, she took off running.


	12. Yellow Streak

**Hey guys! Okay, this is super exciting- it's my first update from college! Yes, technically last time I was in college, but not _in_ college; I was home for the holiday weekend. But now, I'm sitting in my dorm with eight million hours to spare between classes, so I decided to update for you. I don't know how you'll feel about this chapter. It's not one that you can feel in between about, really- you either love it or you hate it. Either way, I wanna know about it. So review, review, review!**

**Still don't own this movie... ENJOY!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Yellow Streak

**... **

**Yellow Streak**- An idiom used to express when someone is acting cowardly about something. Example: As Abby began to deteriorate before their eyes, Gabriella confronted Troy about his cowardly ways; his **yellow streak** confusing and infuriating her.

**... **

They hadn't spoken in weeks.

After taking off at the completion of Giuliana's funeral, Gabriella had thrown herself into her car and sped off towards the direction of Troy's house, prepared to confront him and give him hell. However, with no cars in the driveway to be seen, Gabriella was sure that no one had been home. She retreated back to her own household and proceeded to call him… seventeen times. He hadn't answered a single one. Sending about a dozen text messages next, Gabriella felt completely rejected.

Not one of her texts were answered, either.

They moved through school avoiding each other. Every time Troy would see Gabriella approaching, he'd duck in the other direction. When she would find him walking alone, she would back down, telling herself she would confront him at a later date. But she was getting increasingly more angry and a bit lonely; after all, Troy had become one of her very best friends, a sort of confidante she had when she needed to tell someone something she couldn't tell Taylor. Finally, the week before Thanksgiving, Gabriella decided enough was enough.

Bags and books in hand, she headed to the Bolton residence.

Troy's house was beautiful. The siding was a lovely mocha hue with emerald green shutters. There was a cobblestone pathway leading to the oak front door, a brass door knocker resting just below the top. The front yard was neatly groomed and vastly landscaped, every plant imaginable lining the perfectly trimmed and spread out mulch beside the sidewalk. She inhaled the soft smell radiating from the flower arrangements before stepping onto the sidewalk and up to the front door. Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed the glowing orange doorbell.

Nothing.

Pressing it again, she slammed the brass knocker against the oak door as well and waited for a response. A few moments later, an incomprehensible male voice was heard from the inside and Gabriella could sense that a presence was coming. She readied herself for Troy's appearance. What would she say to him first? Would she immediately start reaming him out? Or should she wait for him to apologize before she explained why she was so angry and why he should figure out a healthier, more mature way of dealing with his emotions? She didn't have to pick an option. Because as the oak door swung open, Troy was not on the receiving end.

Gabriella was looking at mini-Troy.

The eleven-year-old version of Troy was staring back at Gabriella like he had just won the lottery. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with some video game logo on it she couldn't make out. But what struck her so odd was that she was literally looking at a boy who looked nearly one hundred percent like his older brother. His sandy brown hair was styled in almost the exact same way as Troy's and he had the exact same vibrant blue eyes. She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts and the boy chuckled.

"Do I know you?" He asked, sizing her up.

"Hi. Cody, right?" Gabriella asked and the pre-teenager nodded. "Hi, I'm Gabriella. Troy's… I'm one of Troy's friends."

"Oh, _Gabriella_," Cody stated with a grin. "I know about you."

"You know about me?" Gabriella shot him a confused glance. "What has Troy said about me?"

"Lots of things," He stared at her pensively. "But it'll cost ya if you wanna know."

"I'm really not interested in your proposition," Gabriella shook her head. "But do you happen to know if Troy's home?"

"I don't know," Cody shrugged. "I just got home."

Gabriella expected him to check for her, but when the eleven-year-old didn't budge, she sighed. "Okay, well thanks anyway."

On a whim, she decided to ask before she turned away. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what do you know about Abby?"

"Abby?" Cody practiced the name on his tongue before making a face. "I didn't like her. She was so… uptight. Made Troy mad a lot. Nagged him about everything. Troy complained _a lot_ about her."

"Oh yeah?" Gabriella faced him. "What did he say?"

Cody frowned. "I don't know. He never did say anything to me about it."

"Oh," Gabriella's face fell. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Cody. Thanks anyway."

She was halfway down the sidewalk when the boy called out again. "If you want, I can check for you. Or Maddy might know where he is."

Gabriella turned, smiling. "I'd like that."

Cody invited her into the house and Gabriella stepped over the threshold, inhaling the scent of apple spice and cinnamon. Instead of checking himself, Cody screamed for his older sister, listened for her response, and then took off running in the direction of her voice. Gabriella shook her head, a smile gracing her features. She was about to meet the third and final Bolton child. What had Troy said about his sister, again?

"_Madison's nineteen. She's a goody-two-shoes, gets straight As in college, and wants to be a lawyer just like my Mom. She's the family suck-up- that's what Cody and I call her."_

_"That's not very nice. I'm sure she's a sweet girl."_

_"Why don't you meet her and I'll let you decide?"_

Oh yeah.

Madison Bolton descended the stairs and already Gabriella could sense an air of change. She was wearing skinny jeans and a top from Forever 21, draped with necklaces and bracelets of all kinds down her arm. Her chestnut brown hair was curled and fell mid-shoulder, framing her lovely face beautifully. She was wearing little makeup, but she didn't need to enhance her natural beauty. Gabriella smiled as she approached and Madison stopped just in front of her, her neutral face changing into one gleaming with joy.

"Oh, you're the exotic girl Troy made-out with this summer!" Madison guessed and Gabriella blushed. "What's your name, again? Isabella?"

"Gabriella."

"I was close," Madison shrugged. "I'm Madison. I don't know if Troy's told you anything about me."

"A little," Gabriella bit her lip. "I was actually just wondering where Troy was. He and I really have to talk."

"You're not going to break-up with him, are you?" Madison asked, getting defensive. "I don't know if I can take another one of you girls breaking my little brother's heart."

"No, that's not it at all, actually. We're not even dating." Gabriella explained. "We just-"

"You're not?" Madison stopped. "Really? The way Troy talks about you I'd assume you were."

Gabriella smiled faintly. "Yeah, well. I'm not sure that's ever going to happen. He's still stuck on Abby."

"Abby Miller? Seriously?" Madison chuckled. "He hates that girl. What would make him hesitate in breaking up with her and coming on to you?"

"He did break up with her, actually," Gabriella told her. "It's just… Abby has cancer. That's why she was away all summer. Troy feels really guilty, I guess, and I do understand that. It's just… I don't know when he's going to move on, you know? Truth be told, Abby doesn't have that much time left."

"Oh I didn't know it was that serious," Madison said softly. "Wow. No wonder Troy's such a mess."

"Yeah," Gabriella softly applied pressure to her lip, feeling the blood pulsate beneath the skin. "I feel really bad for him… But he stood me up and… I really want to talk to him about that."

"I'm not sure where he is, honestly." Madison stated, glancing around the house. "I'll let him know you stopped by, okay? I'll have him call you."

Gabriella glanced down at her shoes. "He's been ignoring my calls."

"Well I'll personally watch him dial." Madison smiled. "Thanks for coming by, Gabriella."

Gabriella knew a dismissal when she heard one. Making her way back to the front door, she thanked her gracious host. "Thanks Madison."

"Oh, and by the way," Madison stopped her, just before she could get too far away. "When you do talk to him, go easy on him. Abby already broke his heart once. Don't do it again."

Gabriella nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"_Hey now, hey now! This is what dreams are made of! Hey now, hey now! This is what dreams are made of! I've got somewhere I belong. I've got somebody to love! This is what dreams are made of!_"

"What are you watching?" Gabriella asked, sitting in the armchair beside Abby's hospital bed.

Abby chuckled painfully, languorously. "_The Lizzie McGuire Movie_. It's only the best movie from our childhood_ ever_."

"I don't know," Gabriella disagreed. "I was never really a fan of _Lizzie McGuire_. I liked _Even Stevens_."

Abby gasped, which then resulted in a harsh coughing fit. "Well, forget you."

Gabriella giggled, turning to look at Abby and instead got slammed with a view she had never seen before. Since Abby was still speaking up to par with Gabriella herself, she had expected to see the same blonde teenager she had befriended all those months ago. She expected the bright green eyes, the long blonde hair, the same winning smile. She wasn't sure why she expected Abby to still look exactly the same as she did when she was still healthy, but there was something inside of her that still expected strong, passionate, and wild Abby Miller to still be strong, passionate, and wild Abby Miller.

But this was not her.

Instead of the bright green eyes, Abby's eyes were sunken into her skull, paled to an almost gray with deep, dark circles beneath her sockets. Instead of the long blonde hair, her scalp was completely bare, smooth and shiny and free from any hair follicles. Instead of that same winning smile, Abby's mouth was drawn halfway between a smile and a frown, her mind deciding in which moment to flip the switch. Strong, passionate, and wild Abby Miller had transformed into this weaker shell of herself, but she was still determined to do everything she did when she was healthy.

Well, _almost_ everything.

"Did the nurse tell you?" Abby breathed, her voice coming out somewhat raspy. "I have to spend Thanksgiving in this bed. How the hell am I supposed to get overcome with tryptophan if I can't even lift my own fork?"

"No, they didn't tell me," Gabriella frowned. "But that sucks. Is your family going to come here?"

"Yeah, I think so." Abby chose that moment to utilize the frown. "I feel like complete shit for ruining their holiday."

"Abby, you're not ruining anything." Gabriella assured her. "It's not your fault."

"You mean you haven't ever looked at something that's wrong with you and felt like it's your fault?" Abby asked her truthfully, tearing her gaze away from her television, where Hilary Duff was dancing onstage in Rome. "Because I feel like that every single day. Every time I blew off one of those little kids who asked me to donate to the cancer research fund, every time I ignored the calls that asked us to join the walk to cure cancer, every time I changed the channel when the St. Jude Children's Hospital commercial came on- that's why it happened to me. This is karma. This is why they've chosen me. They wanted me to know what it feels like."

Gabriella had to think over Abby's reasoning. Had she ever had a moment in her lifetime when something had gone wrong and she blamed herself for it? Of course. When she was eleven and her parents divorced, Gabriella secretly blamed and hated herself for two years. If she had done better at school, maybe he would've loved her more. If she wasn't allergic to shellfish- Richard's favorite restaurant was Red Lobster. If she was better behaved, maybe he would've cared enough to stay. If she could've been a better daughter, no, if she could've been the _best_ daughter, maybe he would've stayed.

It took two years for her to stop coming up with 'What ifs…?'

"Yeah," Gabriella gulped. "Of _course_ I've felt like that. But you have to know that it's not your fault. Your body betrayed you; you didn't betray yourself."

Abby huffed. "That's what _you_ think."

Gabriella knew Abby was feeling down and still hadn't come up with a way to make her feel better. So, leaving her to her Disney Channel classic, Gabriella stood and silently left the room. She headed back to the desk area to pick up her clipboard and new list of patients to visit for the day. She sighed when she realized she had Jamie Wilkinson that day. It meant that he had relapsed and she frowned. But then, she glanced at a new name on the top of her list. Jessica Greene, ten years old, receiving chemotherapy the next morning. But that wasn't what she stared at until her eyes welled with tears.

Jessica was assigned to room 314. And that was Giuliana's room.

Racing down the hallway, Gabriella headed towards 314 and found her mother just outside, talking to a set of parents and a young girl, most likely Jessica. The second they disappeared, she pounced. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"Hi Gabby, honey. You're late." Maria noticed, signaling towards the clipboard. "I thought I'd start you off with a newbie today. You're so good with them and Jess is a wreck."

"Mom," Gabriella refused to see eye-to-eye. "That's Giuliana's room."

Maria could see the way the pain of the situation was killing her inside. Her daughter's dark chocolate eyes were winced in pain, tears threatening to strike. But honestly, there wasn't anything she could do. Sighing, Maria pulled her daughter aside and embraced her. When they pulled away, she looked her square in the eye. "It _was_ Giuliana's room. Now, it's Jessica's."

"You-You can't do this already," Gabriella pleaded. "You can't replace her so soon! She hasn't even been gone a month yet!"

"Gabriella, I'm sorry." Maria cooed. "But unfortunately, that's the way it goes. Sadly, kids don't stop getting cancer. Jessica needs the room for the night and… I have to give it to her."

"I can't believe you're replacing her," Gabriella ignored her mother's condolences and shook her head violently. "I _cannot_ believe it."

"Honey, I'm not replacing her. Giuliana was a wonderful girl and we'll always remember her," Maria coaxed. "But that room… That room isn't Giuliana's. That's just a room. Her room is at home, with her family."

"When she was here, I was her family," Gabriella proved and Maria nodded.

"I know, sweetheart. I know you and Giuliana were close." Maria checked her watch. "I have to go. And by my watch, so do you."

"Wait, Mom!" Gabriella called out to her retreating figure. "How's Abby doing? You haven't said much, lately."

"Well, honestly? There isn't much to say," Maria sighed. "She is moving up on the bone marrow transplant list, but she's far from the top. I'm not sure it'll reach her in time. She's fading fast and deteriorating right before our eyes."

Maria could see the disappointment in Gabriella's eyes and tried to make her understand. "I'm doing everything that I can, honey. I really am."

"How much time?" Gabriella asked bravely. "How much time does she have left?"

Maria smiled sadly. "It's hard to say. With a transplant, she could go into remission-"

"_Without_ a transplant," Gabriella specified. "How much time?"

Maria hesitated. "Four weeks. I'm giving her four weeks."

"Do you think a transplant can get here in four weeks?" Gabriella asked hopefully.

Maria shook her head, truthfully. "No."

As Maria walked away, Gabriella stared at the patterned tile of the floor. Four weeks. Abby had four weeks to live and she was still angry with Troy.

Something had to be done about one of these situations.

Since Gabriella wasn't a doctor, she had to fix what she could.

* * *

The following day at school, Gabriella decided to strike during free period. She knew Troy had the same off-lab period that she did, and hurried to lose her books in her locker before heading off in the direction he had departed. She lost him somewhere and couldn't seem to find his trace anywhere. Asking a bunch of random students, they nearly all shrugged and ignored her, wondering why she would need to know his whereabouts so urgently. Finally, Zeke Baylor pointed towards a large set of red doors at the end of the next hallway and Gabriella wondered where they would lead.

Yanking open the incredibly heavy doors, Gabriella found herself looking at a set of stairs. They were a bit sketchy, but she ascended the concrete stairway anyway. By the time she reached the top, she could see why Troy would like this place. It was a rooftop garden, an entire space devoted to advanced flora. There were hanging flower arrangements and potted plants and the entire place smelled magical. Gabriella glanced around until her eyes fell upon the figure leaning over the railing of the entrance. She narrowed her eyes, closing in on him as she took a few steps forward.

Troy sensed her presence and closed his eyes. "Gabriella, before you say anything-"

"No, before _you_ say anything," Gabriella cut him off. "What the hell is going on? Can you just answer that question? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come to the funeral-"

"What?" For a second, Gabriella seemed confused. "No, this isn't even about me. This is about _you_. I don't want to make this about me. There's something going on with you that you can't tell me. I don't know what it is or why you think that I won't listen, but please, just tell me. What is so horribly awful that you had to back out of plans because of it?"

Troy gripped the railing even tighter. "Nothing."

"I don't understand, Troy. Please just make me understand."

"There's nothing you can do about it." He seethed. "Just leave me alone."

"How can you even say that? You don't know. I might be able to help you." She offered. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Why am I being stubborn?" He whirled around to face her. "Why are _you_ being so persistent? Why do you have to get involved in _everything_? The situation between Abby and I has _nothing_ to do with you, and yet here you are, meddling _again_! Just leave it alone, Gabriella! Things will work themselves out. You don't need to get into everyone's personal business!"

"Well _excuse_ me for trying to help out a friend!" Gabriella shouted back.

"That's the other thing," Troy exhaled. "You and Abby? Friends? Whoever said you could be friends with Abby?"

"No one said anything!" Gabriella said. "I can be friends with whoever I want!"

"I'm not saying you can't," He sighed. "I'm just saying-"

"You're just saying what, Troy?" She softened just a bit. "What is this really about? This has nothing to do with Abby and I being friends."

"No Gabriella, it has _nothing_ to do with you," Troy pleaded. "So please, _please_ leave it alone."

"Troy," Her frustration was evident. "I _wish_ I could. I wish I could leave it alone. But I'm too involved now. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

"You sound like my mother," Troy groaned. "God, why should I have to tell you or anyone else anything? What does my life have to do with anyone else's?"

"Because we care about you, Troy!" Gabriella insisted. "I don't know if you forgot about that, but we do care about you. Too much to let you just shrink away into this shell of nothingness!"

The bell rang then, signaling the end of free period. Troy wrenched away from Gabriella's gaze and began to walk towards the staircase. "I have to go to class."

"Troy-"

"I'm done talking."

Reaching out to catch his arm, Gabriella firmly pulled him back. "Well _I'm_ not."

"Gabriella, what do you want from me?" Troy yelled.

Gabriella drew back as if she'd been slapped. "I want Troy back. What happened to you?"

Troy walked directly past her and sat upon one of the benches. "Nothing."

"Something," She followed him. "This isn't you. Why can't you just tell me?"

He said nothing. His face sunk into the pit he made with his hands and Gabriella groaned in frustration. "We are not doing this again. God, Troy, all I want to do is help you! Can't you see that?"

"Of course I see that!" Troy barked. "But you pushing me into doing something about my life isn't really helping me, okay? You don't understand that I'm not ready to see Abby yet, do you? You don't get it!"

"No, Troy, I don't get it," She retracted. "I don't get why it would be such an awful experience. All you ever used to talk about was how much you couldn't _stand_ her. It wasn't a bad break up and yet you're afraid to see her like you ended on bad terms, or something!"

"This is _not_ about the break up!" Troy insisted.

Gabriella threw up her hands. "Then what is it about?"

"I don't want to see my ex-girlfriend die, okay?" He yelled back and immediately Gabriella understood. "Abby and I may have hated each other, but I never wished her dead! And this is all my fault, Gabriella! Maybe if I had actually _cared_ about her just a little bit more, she wouldn't be in this position! I can't just go and see her and pretend like nothing's wrong. Everything's wrong! She's dying, Gabriella! She's _dying!_"

"The last image I have of her is her at my house the week before school started," Troy continued. "She wasn't healthy, but she still _looked_ like Abby. And now, she's rotting in some hospital… And every time you tell me about her, I just can't picture it! I can't bring myself to think of her succumbing to this disease because she's always been so strong!"

"Troy," Gabriella placed a comforting hand on his knee. "I'm really sorry. You can't think that this is your fault, though. It's not."

"It _is_," He insisted. "I'm so overwhelmed with guilt… You don't even know. I keep thinking about this summer and you and I. And I don't feel guilty because I didn't want it to happen. I feel guilty because I _did_. And then I think about Abby and it makes me feel even worse. As much as I want to move things forward with us, I can't do anything about it. I'd feel… I just… I can't let go. I _want_ to let go, but I just can't."

She rubbed his knee just a bit. "I'm really sorry I pushed you to this. You're right; it had nothing to do with me and I am too persistent. I just… I really wanted to be a good friend."

Slinging an arm around her shoulders, Troy hugged her to him. "You _are _a good friend. You're a great friend. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, at first."

"You had every right not to," Gabriella sighed. "I'm sorry I beat it out of you."

Troy was silent for a while before turning to ask, "Gabriella? You still want to help?"

She nodded, her eyes gleaming. "Of course."

"Then tell me," Troy begged. "What should I do?"

"There's really only one thing you can do, now," Gabriella told him, a small smile forming on her face. "You have to get closure."


	13. Face the Music

**Hey guys! I think this is the smallest amount of time it's taken me to update hahaha. I don't know if I ever told you guys this, but this is the second-to-last chapter. This story is pretty much over anyway, so I'm sure you figured that out. But anyway. This is the saddest chapter ever. I don't know why I always have to have something depressing in each story. I'm physically incapable of writing a story without someone crying lol. Anywayyyyy enjoy as much as you can! And even if you don't, let me know. I love reviews. =D**

**I don't own HSM, obvs. I don't own "Here's to the Nights" by Eve 6 either. Adios!**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Face the Music

**... **

**Face the Music**- An idiom used to express when someone must accept the negative consequences of something that they have done wrong. Example: Following his argument with Gabriella over Abby's well-being, Troy realized that it was time to **face the music **and decided to pay a visit to her.

**... **

It was December twelfth before Troy decided he was ready to pay a visit to Abigail Miller.

"I don't know if I can do this," Troy stated truthfully, turning to look Gabriella in the eye.

She softened. "You don't have to do it today. But… you are kind of running out of time."

But Troy shook his head. "No, I'm going to do this today. I'm _ready_ to do this today. I just… I don't know if I can. If that makes any sense at all."

Gabriella tentatively slipped her hand through his and smiled when she felt him cling on tightly. "It makes sense. It makes perfect sense. But I think you can do it. I _know_ you can."

He smiled gratefully at her and they took the first step towards the hospital doors. The sliding glass automatic doors slid open and Gabriella nearly pulled Troy over the threshold and into the confines of the lobby, the sounds and smells feeling familiar to her and maybe just a touch overwhelming to Troy. She greeted the receptionist behind the front desk, informed her that she was visiting her mother and making her rounds for the afternoon, and stepped into the elevator. Troy couldn't stop shaking.

After Thanksgiving break, Troy took two weeks to mentally prepare himself for his visit to Abby. Each day, Gabriella would leave school for her volunteer work and ask Troy if he was ready to come along. Each day, he would refuse. But as he prepared himself for the questions she'd ask, the names she'd yell, the way she'd look in her ultimately vulnerable state, Troy knew that her time on this Earth was drawing to a close. He knew she didn't have enough time left and if he didn't get to her in time, he would regret it for the rest of his life. This afternoon, a wintry Thursday in December, Troy finally agreed.

Troy and Gabriella rode the elevator in silence, the former trying everything he could to control his breathing and the latter trying to rack her brain to figure out what she could say to ease him. He watched the floors light up as they passed them- seven, eight, nine- before the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing the oncology ward on floor ten. Gabriella looked Troy in the eye, silently asking him if he was ready to face the music. He smiled softly and tugged on her hand, leading the way out of the metal contraption and stepping willingly into the air of compliance.

Gabriella led the way to her mother's office, where her clipboard and list of patients for the day rested. She skimmed the four names and the penciled-in, simple question of "_Abby?_" at the bottom. Gabriella had to chuckle slightly. Her mother always left it as an option for her to visit but she knew Gabriella could not leave without visiting her. Stealing a glance at the clock above her head, Gabriella noted that she had about fifteen minutes before she had to meet with the first child that day. Tucking the clipboard beneath her arm, she led Troy down the hallway and towards Abby's room.

"Are you ready?" She chanced, glancing up at him again.

Troy chuckled. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Gabriella reassured, "It's not as scary as you think. Just because Abby looks different doesn't mean she _is_ different. Don't be intimidated, but she's not going to look the same as she did the last time you saw her."

Troy nodded. "I kind of expected as much."

She knocked three times on the door and waited for Abby's faint reply before pushing it open and sticking her head in, bracing herself for the view. Abby was lying helplessly in between the sheets, the bed awkwardly configured to allow her to somewhat sit upwards, as she mindlessly flipped through the channels on her television, the only appendage on her body moving was her left thumb. Her eyes barely shifted as Gabriella walked through the door, the glassy grey hue hardly able to take anything in anymore. Moving her thumb slightly upwards, Abby turned off the television and braved a smile.

"Hi," She called out, her voice raspy. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I actually brought a surprise for you," Gabriella fully entered the room now, pulling Troy along with her.

Abby's eyes brightened at her friend's thoughtfulness. She was beginning to think she would die before seeing Troy again and it was eating her alive inside. Did she care about him? Not exactly. Did she love him? Far from it, actually. But there was so much she had to apologize for, so much she needed to make amends with before she could die in peace. A small piece of the headstrong Abby still remained and begged her to leave it alone, that Troy didn't deserve her apologies. But, she was too weak to listen to her strong side, and so it pleased her greatly that Troy was standing there now, awkwardly trying to glance anywhere but at her.

"Well," She exhaled. "Look who finally showed up."

Whatever impertinent response he was going to shoot at her faded away when his eyes fell upon her broken frame. Troy nodded. "Yeah… I'm sorry."

Giving his hand one final squeeze, Gabriella dropped his and began to back away. "I'm going to give you two some time alone."

Troy nodded, his eyes locking on hers as she prepared to leave. "Thank you, Gabriella."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

Abby viewed this interaction with disdain. Watching this interaction, she decided, was like reading one of those ridiculous romance novels where the two main characters refused to realize that they were perfect for one another. Why hadn't Troy ever looked at _her_ like that? Her eyes never left Troy as he bid farewell to Gabriella and then awkwardly took the seat beside her bed, still not daring to look too much upon her. If she could, Abby would have laughed at this. His apprehension was a bit comical, in a way.

Inhaling as normally as she could, Abby began. "So… What's up? What took you so long?"

"I was scared," He admitted, glancing down at the hands in his lap. "I didn't want to see you like this."

"Like what?" She joked. "I'll be getting out of her in _no_ time."

Troy scoffed. "I didn't want to watch you die, Ab. That was the _last_ thing on my mind."

"Well, that's life," She sighed heavily. "Isn't that what you always used to tell me? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose…"

"Sometimes you're not even in the game." Troy finished when Abby couldn't. "Yeah… I guess so."

"Well, think of it that way. This is me losing," Abby closed her eyes. "This is cancer winning. And you? You're not even in the game."

"Don't make me feel worse than I already do," He muttered, still refusing to look at her. "I can't stand this."

"You? Feel worse? This isn't your fault," She opened her eyes again, painfully turning her head towards his. "Had we stayed together instead of broken up, I still would have gotten cancer. That wouldn't have changed anything."

"Gabriella and I kissed over the summer," He admitted, knowing if he didn't, he would forever regret it. "We kissed and I feel like _this_ is karma. This is what happened to me because of what we did."

If Abby seemed shocked by the new information, she didn't show it. "Why would you two kissing lead to me getting cancer?"

"Didn't you hear me? _Karma_."

Abby shook her head slowly. "Troy, _you_ don't have cancer. That would be karma. I do… This doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I guess I'm just sorry," He sighed. "I'm sorry for all of the arguments and the name-calling and swearing and stuff. And… I'm sorry for kissing Gabriella."

Abby stared at him. "No, you're not."

Troy's eyes, for the first time, snapped to hers. "What?"

"You're not sorry," Abby repeated softly. "I can tell you really care about her. And if you only _knew _the way she talks about you."

This made Troy smile. "Really?"

"Of course," Abby smiled softly as well. "She really likes you, Troy. You obviously like her too."

"I do," He confessed. "I really, _really_ like her. But… I mean, with you, and… I just couldn't."

"You couldn't what?" Abby's nose scrunched in confusion before her eyes widened. "Troy! You didn't ask her out because of _me?_ The last thing I want is to be a barrier in your relationship. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"There's no way I could do that!" Troy informed her. "Don't you understand how _guilty_ that would make me feel?"

"Troy, I am _long_ since over you," Abby sighed, fighting to catch her breath after her outburst. "I just want you to be happy… And Gabriella is going to make you happy, I know it."

"Since when do you want me to be _happy_?" The response flew out of his mouth before he could control it, but the moment he said it, he regretted it. His eyes widened in shock and he watched the sentence take its effect on Abby. But instead of drawing back as if she'd been slapped, instead of her eyes filling with tears, instead of swearing and shooting back an equally venomous response, Abby just closed her eyes, exhaled, and opened her eyes again. She took a breath again before she decided she was ready to respond.

"I've _always_ wanted you to be happy," She said quietly.

"Abby-" Troy began, but then realized that he had nothing to say.

"I'm sorry," Abby began. "I'm sorry too. For everything; for arguing, for being a complete bitch all the time, for making it so that you were _never_ happy. And… And for sleeping with Josh."

Troy squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Yeah? Well I do." She counteracted. "I wasn't used to not getting my way, Troy. I'm an only child. I _always_ get my way. I just expected… our relationship to go the way they do in books and magazines, you know? I thought… I thought we were in love. But we weren't and I didn't realize that. I guess you did."

"Abby, that wasn't it," Troy argued. "I mean, it _was_, but that wasn't all. We had only been dating for two weeks and you wanted to have sex already!"

"I thought you were ready," Abby admitted. "I was, anyway. All my friends had already… done it and… I just wanted to be closer to you. It seemed like the perfect plan to make you jealous if I… If I just had sex with Josh."

"Whatever, Ab. You did it, it's over, move on." Troy said bitterly and Abby frowned.

"I can't move on," Abby sighed. "I feel bad and… I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you… I didn't mean to. I thought I was making you jealous…"

"If we had a real relationship, you wouldn't have to make me jealous," Troy stated. "We could've just talked about it."

"I know," She said softly. "I just wanted to apologize because… I never have before."

"Well," Troy sighed. "Thanks, I guess."

Abby watched Troy, who ran his hands over his face, glancing around the room at the curtains, the bed sheets, the multiple machines Abby was hooked up to, not once daring to look at her for more than a couple of seconds. It broke Abby's heart that he was so afraid to face what she had succumbed to. He had been here for a half hour, easily, and had looked at her maybe twice. Inhaling slowly and exhaling, Abby's eyes filled with tears. Why was he so afraid of her? What was so wrong with her that he couldn't even bother to look?

"Troy," She called out softly and his eyes lifted to hers at the intensity of her tone. "Why won't you look at me?"

Troy felt his own eyes fill with tears at her painful expression. "Abby… I can't."

"Why not?" She cried. "I'm still… me."

"I can't," He repeated, though he contradicted this statement, as now, he couldn't stop staring.

"You should look while you still can," Abby responded and that was all it took for she and Troy to burst into tears.

Abby's tears were hot and fast, rolling down her cheeks and pooling beneath her chin as she watched her ex-boyfriend break into pieces before her. For some reason, she couldn't think back to a time when she and Troy had had good times together. Every memory that raced back towards her in these final moments was of arguing, name-calling, cursing, and throwing innumerable objects. She thought of these things with misery. She thought of these things and she cried harder. No matter how many arguments she had had with Troy and no matter how much she couldn't _stand_ him, she wanted him to have fun and to be happy within the rest of his life. She knew she wouldn't be around to see if he did, but she would do as much as she could- which, probably wasn't much- to encourage him to do so while she still was.

Troy Bolton _never_ cried. It took truly awful situations to produce tears from his eyes and this certainly qualified as one of those situations. He thought about all of those times in arguments he'd told Abby to go to hell and cried harder. He couldn't think of anything that was a good moment between them but was _sure_ there had to be something. What would he do when the day came? He knew, as well as everyone knew, that Abby's days were limited. But he had never experienced a death in his lifetime. What _would_ he do when he got that phone call? How would he handle viewing her in a casket? How could he stand watching her as she was lowered into the ground?

The tempest continued to rage, long after they'd parted.

"Troy," Abby uttered, her voice barely over a whisper, long after their tears had subsided. "Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" His voice was just as low, just as guttural.

"Anything," Abby said. "You must be… wondering what it's like, right? Ask me."

Troy gulped. "Does it hurt?"

She inhaled and Troy tried not to notice how she struggled to do so. "Sometimes. Sometimes I don't feel it all. I just have trouble breathing, but other than that, I feel fine. But sometimes… Sometimes it feels like my body is on fire. It feels like I swallowed acid… like I'm burning from the inside out. Sometimes it feels like… if I concentrate hard enough… I can just make myself die. And when I do… When I die… It will feel good. Everything will just… go away."

"Giuliana was right, you know," Abby continued. "She told me… She told me the end was like… Was so, so much more painful than anything else. She said… I'll never forget it, 'It hurts. It hurts so much, Abby. I just want it to stop hurting.' I felt bad for her… So bad… But now, I know. Now, _I_ want it to stop hurting."

"Are you scared?" Troy asked, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

Abby closed her eyes slowly and reopened them, her visage aching. "No. I'm _ready_."

"Gabriella's Mom said that she's found three people who are willing to donate bone marrow," Troy said hopefully. "They're getting tested next week to see if their blood matches yours."

"She tested two of them already," Abby sighed. "They didn't match. What are the chances… the third one will?"

Troy glanced down. "I don't know."

"Right," Abby said. "One in a million."

A moment later, when the fatigue and the excruciating pain became too much for Abby to bear, she began to end their conversation. "Troy? I want you to promise me something."

"Okay," Troy cleared his throat. "What is it? What can I do?"

"I want you to be happy," Abby breathed. "Don't cry when I die. You did enough of that today."

Troy frowned. "You know I can't promise that."

Ignoring him, she went on. "I want you to graduate with honors… You're smart; I know you will. Go to college and don't listen to your Dad. If… if you don't want to play basketball… in college… don't."

"I want you to ask Gabriella out," Abby smiled slowly. "You two are blind to the other's feelings, but… they're both there. I want you two to date and be happy… Don't worry about college. Long distance relationships will work if you make them."

"And lastly," Her hoarse voice quivered, but she vowed not to cry. "Please forget about me."

"Abby, no," Troy refused. "I _can't_ do that."

"Don't feel guilty," Abby stated, her body rejecting her previous vow. "I know… People usually say 'Don't forget about me,' but I _want_ you to, Troy. I couldn't… I couldn't bear it if all you did was think of me when I'm gone."

"Abby," Troy started. "No matter how much we couldn't stand each other, no matter how many times we yelled and swore and threw things at each other, no matter how many times I wanted to wring your neck or how many times I was afraid to say something because it might set you off, there was not one time that I thought we'd break up and I could forget you. Our relationship was like this sick minefield… And I can't forget you… Because _you_ made me cross it."

Tears spilled over and Abby sighed. "It was worth crossing it, Troy."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Gabriella poked her head in. "Hey, how's it going in here?"

Troy glanced away from Abby. "I think we're done here."

"Okay," Gabriella smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit as Troy stood and crossed the room, making his way to the door. "I'll be out in a bit, then."

"Sure," He addressed her. "I'll be waiting."

Abby wiped her tears away as furiously as she could manage. "Thank you, Gabriella."

"For what?" She took the chair Troy previously had occupied.

"For bringing Troy," Abby said. "And for coming in when you did."

"Oh, well you're welcome." Gabriella smiled. "I finally convinced the stubborn pain-in-the-ass to visit you. He needed to… He needed to settle his demons."

Abby made eye contact with the brunette. "So did I."

"So… did you two have a nice conversation?" Gabriella asked and Abby half-shrugged.

"I guess so," Abby sighed. "Gabriella, can I tell you something?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I feel it, Gabriella," Abby stated. "Remember how Giuliana said she felt when the end was coming? I'm feeling it. It's not long, now. Maybe a couple days. Maybe only one."

"Oh God, Abby."

"In case I go to sleep tonight and don't wake up tomorrow," Abby exhaled. "It's been great knowing you. You've been a great friend."

Gabriella bit her lip, asking the same question Troy had just inquired. "Are you scared, Abby?"

"I'm not scared," Abby told her friend, who could sense otherwise. She added, "Not of dying, anyway. I'm ready for that. I'm scared of… missing out on things. I'm not going to get to go to prom… or graduation."

"I guess it just hit me the other day," Abby sighed. "I'm not going to graduate high school, let alone college. I'm not going to have one of those cool office jobs… You know, the one with the cubicle and the view of the city? I won't have that… I won't and it's weird to think about it."

"Abby…" Gabriella began, but, much like Troy, she realized she didn't have anything to say.

"I'm not going to get married or have kids," She continued on. "I won't… be able to teach my daughter how to put on makeup… or have a mama's-boy son… because I won't have a daughter _or_ a son. I'll never go to London, like I wanted, or be in the Olympics for gymnastics… I'll never eat authentic tiramisu or learn the words to _We Didn't Start the Fire_ and _Bohemian Rhapsody_… It's that stuff that I'm going to miss… That's what I'm afraid of."

"Abby," Gabriella could feel tears burn in her own eyes. "I don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," She smiled. "You can't stop it. Neither can I."

"I know… But-"

"Gabriella," Abby said slowly. "You've done everything… you can. Your Mom can't save me… even though you wish she could. I don't want… I don't want to ruin your relationship with her… So when I die… Don't be mad at her. It's not her fault."

"Abby, there's still hope! There's still one more person who could be your match." Gabriella pointed out and if Abby could scoff, she would.

She simply didn't have the strength.

"Gabriella, it won't match," Abby stated. "In case you didn't notice, I don't have the greatest luck in the world. I'm okay… I'm ready… Besides, Giuliana's waiting for someone to keep her company."

Tears began to pour down Gabriella's face. "That's right… She is."

"I just wanted to say… You were a great friend. I never thought I'd be friends with you…" Abby sighed. "You were so nice to me… Always kept me company… and even put up with Troy. You two are going to be very happy… together. Don't let me hold you back."

"Abby…"

Where she got the strength, she didn't know. But Abby softly began to sing, "_Here's to the nights we felt alive… Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry… Here's to goodbye… Tomorrow's gonna come too soon…_"

Gabriella wiped a tear away from her eye. "Abby, you were just as good of a friend to me. Please don't go too soon… But if you do, say hi to Giuliana for me?"

Abby's eyes filled with tears, but she smiled despite this. "Absolutely."


	14. Whatever Will Be, Will Be

**Go ahead, sing Vanessa's song. I did when I first named this chapter hahaha.**

**Anyway, on a more serious note, it is a rainy college Monday. I'm already done with classes (yay!) and here I am, updating the final chapter of "Across a Minefield." Some of you may be sad, some of you may be happy to see this go. I kind of fall somewhere in between. As much as I enjoyed writing this for all of you, I am a bit relieved to see this end. It was ready for its death... Then again, so is Abby. ;)**

**Thank you to everyone who read this story and double, no, triple thanks to those of you who reviewed. I have a new story in the works but I'm honestly not going to post it until I know exactly where I want it to go. We wouldn't want another "Without a Trace," would we? So thank you again and I will hopefully see you all next time. Enjoy the last chapter and keep writing!  
**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Whatever Will Be, Will Be

**... **

**Whatever Will Be, Will Be**- An idiom used to describe the notion that fate will decide the outcome of a course of events, even if an action is taken to try to alter it. Example: Though Abby met an unfortunate and untimely death, there was nothing Troy and Gabriella could do to stop it; thus, they found themselves facing the future and accepting the fact that **whatever will be, will be**.

**... **

Troy Bolton didn't know what to think, say, do, or feel.

He thought that everything would return to normal when he left the hospital with Gabriella the week prior. In a sense, it had. He no longer felt the overwhelming nature of guilt that he'd expected to feel the rest of his life. He felt an air of… almost complaisance. He thought that he truly had done the correct thing by visiting Abby with Gabriella and did feel better now that he'd done so. He even continued to visit her as time went on, every now and then driving over to the hospital with Gabriella by his side, and it almost looked like Abby was getting better. Or, so he thought.

He said that he felt fine when he returned home each time, ignoring the looks of misery and pity from his parents. He didn't want to be consoled and he didn't want to talk about it. So he said he was fine, he blew them off. If they continued to question him about her well-being or his own, he would make up something ridiculous- the number of white blood cell count, his feelings on his Physics exam the next day- until they would stop asking him. Lucille went back to work on her cases and Jack to design plays for the basketball team to run, because, after all, their son was fine. Or, so he said.

He did everything he could to try and ignore the feelings of melancholy and despair whenever they washed over him from time to time. They didn't come often, but when they did, they hit like a hurricane and a tornado all in one. He would shove them aside, focusing more on his homework, basketball, cleaning his room, _anything_ that would make them go away. If he truly felt like his world was crashing down, he would call Gabriella and they would talk for hours about their situation. After all, she was the only one who understood and the only one who was going through the same thing. She would make sure he didn't express his feelings too angrily. Or, so he did.

He felt an overwhelming amount of emotions that he couldn't even pinpoint one of them. He felt relieved that he had finally expressed himself and apologized to Abby for everything he had done to her and vice versa. But then again, there was also the looming presence of her death overtop him; he knew with each day, she was becoming decreasingly less and less alive. With each day, Troy jumped every time the phone rang, afraid it would be someone to inform him of her death. If he could rid himself of all of these feelings, he would in a heartbeat. Or, so he felt.

One chilly January afternoon, the fourth or the fifth, Troy couldn't really remember, he returned to his bedroom after a long day of school and flopped backwards onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to force himself to stay awake long enough to complete the mountains of Math homework and the Spanish essay he had that evening. It was one of those rare days when Abby hadn't overwhelmed his thoughts and he pulled himself up from his position on his bed to search for the Spanish-to-English dictionary on the top shelf of his closet. He would need it greatly if he were to write this one-thousand-word essay by tomorrow morning.

Standing on the tips of his toes, Troy reached onto the highest level of shelving in his closet and grasped the small green dictionary in his hands. Yanking it out from underneath a few other objects, a slip of paper and a photograph fell to the carpeted floor beneath him. Troy sighed, tossing the dictionary to his desktop and bending down to the ground to pick up the scraps that had fallen. He lifted the piece of paper first and found that it was a note from Abby. In pink ink, her loopy handwriting scrawled a note that read:

"_Troy- My Mom just got this picture developed of us at the lake this summer! Shocking, we're not looking at the camera… ;) Love, Abby xoxo_"

As Troy fingered the photograph, he dared his blue eyes to glance down at a once-happier version of him and Abby. They couldn't be older the fifteen and they were dressed in bathing suits- his a blue checkered pair of board shorts and hers a red-and-white polka dot bikini- as they sat on the shore of the lake, their ankles already submersed in water. They were laughing; Troy could tell from the smiles and scrunched up expressions on their faces as they communicated with one another. Abby's hand rested on Troy's upper arm, his on her knee. And most of all, they were _happy_.

What had happened between then and now?

Troy considered placing this photo in a frame somewhere in his room, but then something stopped him. _No_, he thought. _You can't_._ You and Abby may have had good times in the past, but they're over. You have to move on_. Still, it was easier said than done. He tossed the note in the trash and placed the photograph on his desk while he attempted to begin his Spanish essay. He concentrated for a good five minutes before the picture distracted him yet again. Just as he was about to find a frame in his mother's collection, Abby's words ran through his head.

_Please forget about me. I want you to. I couldn't bear it if all you did was think of me when I'm gone._

This is what she'd been talking about.

Troy sighed and took the photograph in his hands. What did 'forgetting' constitute? Could he keep the photograph and still forget about her? Or would it inhibit his healing process if he kept the picture of the two of them? Sighing heavily, he reached into his trash and tore up the note, feeling it was easier to let go of the little things before the big. When nothing was left of the loopy, hand-written note but confetti, Troy felt satisfied with himself and continued to type the essay. Three hundred words down, seven hundred words to go…

_Please forget about me._

The picture still taunted him.

_Forget about me._

_Forget._

Troy stood up, not able to take it any longer. He grasped the photograph and left the room, pulling open the door that led to the Boltons' attic. Running clean up the stairs, Troy searched through bins and boxes of storage items, looking for the one box that would most likely not be opened again. When he found a plastic storage bin of Cody's old baby clothes, Troy knew he hit the jackpot. He found a snowsuit and buried the picture of him and Abby inside, zipping it closed and replacing the storage bin where he had found it. Returning to his room, Troy finally felt at ease.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to forget.

* * *

Noise.

Everything around her was so _loud_.

She could hear the commotion in the hallway as doctors and nurses raced frantically between hospital rooms, administering hormone shots, checking vitals, making sure everyone was still alive. Upstairs, a man was awakening from surgery. Downstairs, a woman was giving birth to a child. Next door, a child was crying out in pain. Hospitals were supposed to be quiet. And yet, at any given point in the day, everything was so ridiculously _loud_.

Abby drew in a painfully slow breath. She could feel her lungs languidly fill with the oxygen she felt she didn't need anymore and then, all too hurriedly, expel that air back into the stuffy hospital room. She could sense that her body wanted to give up on itself, and honestly, Abby couldn't blame it. She too felt that the end was near and that there was no reason to continue on. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she finally admitted to herself the truth. _This is it. This is the end. I'm going to die._

Slowly but surely turning her smooth-skinned head towards the machines at her bedside, Abby watched the languorous dip and curve of her heart monitor. The electric lime meter blipped and beeped every so often, marking each slow and tedious beat of her battered heart. With each breath, Abby could sense that the markings were getting further and further apart. She laid back, closed her eyes, and felt everything at once. The cancerous cells in her blood burned. It felt as though fire was raging through her veins as they prepared to take her under. She could feel each beat of her heart become slower and less frequent, signaling that it was pumping the poisonous blood and was finally arresting.

Abby took one final breath and heard nothing.

Everything around her was so _quiet_.

Silence.

* * *

The moment she heard the flat-line, Maria knew that Abigail Miller had given up.

"Check the EKG!"

"She isn't breathing. We're going to have to intubate her!"

"Abby! Abby, come on, now! I know you can hear me; wake up Abby!"

The emergency room was a flurry of activity as nurses raced around, connecting Abby to numerous machines and pushing each other out of the way to reach the girl with their new ideas on how to save her life. Maria Montez was currently tearing at her hospital gown in effort to reach her chest, where they would soon try to restart her heart. Another nurse hovered by her head, checking her pulse and feeling for movement. It was routine, it was procedure, but every doctor and nurse in that room knew that Abigail Miller was gone.

"Okay Abby, open your eyes!" A nurse yelled, feeling Abby's neck. "No radio pulse!"

"We're going to have to jump her heart," Maria said softly, watching Abby's placid face. When she glanced up, no one had moved. "You heard me! Get the defibrillator!"

Suddenly, the room was buzzing again as two nurses appeared with the AED. Maria yanked the defibrillator handles from the incompetent nurse and placed them on Abby's chest. "Charge to 200 cc's."

"200 cc's." The nurse called out.

"Clear!" Maria pressed down on Abby's chest and watched as her body jumped, but her heart did not begin beating again. Turning her head, she yelled back, "250 cc's!"

"250 cc's." The nurse's voice called again.

"Clear!" Maria tried once more, but Abby's body only lurched in response. "Check her brain activity!"

"The scan is showing nothing!"

"She's flat-lined! She isn't coming back!"

"Maria," A male doctor placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's gone."

Maria Montez sighed and nodded, turning off the AED and placing the handles back on their appropriate shelves. She knew Abby was gone but some piece of her didn't want to let go. Maybe it was because she had grown to know Sarah Miller too much and knew how beyond devastated she would feel when Maria informed her that her daughter had passed away. Maybe it was because Maria knew Gabriella would be disappointed that she couldn't save Abby, a friend she had become incredibly close to over the past few months. But most importantly, maybe it was because Maria was a mother herself, and she knew that if this was her daughter, if _she_ had lost a child, she knew she could never go on.

"Abigail Miller," Maria whispered softly, pulling a white sheet over her body. "You put up quite a fight."

Leaving the operating room, Maria retreated to her office and sat down at her desk, her head immediately falling into the haven her hands created. A few minutes later, a soft knock came at the door and she found herself staring into the cool blue eyes of one of the interns on her floor. "Dr. Montez?"

"Hi, come on in Rob," She smiled half-heartedly. "What is it?"

"Dr. Thurman wanted me to let you know that the test results are in from the blood test you wanted," Rob informed her. "You know, about the bone marrow?"

"Oh," Maria's face fell. "Right. I had forgotten all about that."

"Well, good news," Rob smiled. "The bone marrow is a complete match! It's going to make your patient very happy, Dr. Montez."

Rob left the room and Maria sighed. "Yeah. Very happy, indeed."

Maria closed the door and, for the first time in her fifteen years as a doctor, allowed herself to cry.

* * *

"Isabelle Johnson?"

"Here!"

"Matthew Kelleher?"

"Here."

"Lauren Kent?"

"Here!"

"Jacob Lawrinson?"

"Here."

Gabriella Montez sat in her second period Calculus class and willed herself to stay strong. She stared hard at the sheet of review problems her teacher had left the class and desperately tried not to listen to the substitute teacher ramble off in roll call. The last thing she wanted to deal with today was Calculus. Taylor had tried to lighten the mood this morning with a joke, saying that there _must_ be something wrong if Gabriella didn't want to do Math- she _always_ wanted to do Math! Math calmed her down and let out all of her stress. But then, Gabriella explained just what occurred the previous night and Taylor immediately understood.

She knew something hadn't been right when her mother arrived home from the hospital last evening. Gabriella had been fresh from a shower and was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing off her Economics project and eating a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream when Maria entered the door. She sat down in front of her daughter and took both of her hands in her own, tears filling her eyes as she tried to keep her voice from wavering. Slowly, she started with the good news, that there had been a match for Abby's blood type and that the bone marrow transplant could officially happen. But just before Gabriella could get excited, Maria swooped in with the kill.

Abigail Miller had passed on.

Thinking about this, now, made tears burn in Gabriella's eyes and she clenched her fists to her eyes to will them away. The last thing she needed was to break down in the middle of Math class, after all. Taking a few calming breaths, she focused on the first Calculus problem and tried to remember how to execute derivatives. But each time she solved a new step, she could only think about how she did not sleep a wink the night before, how she'd sobbed hysterically in her mother's arms, how she and Troy spent three hours and forty-five minutes on the phone, talking well into the night of how they would recover.

"Isaac Lyman?"

"Here."

"Abigail Miller?"

Silence.

Gabriella's eyes snapped up to the substitute's features. What was going on? Was this some kind of joke? She watched his face for him to crack a smile and start laughing, but he didn't. He simply repeated her name again and waited for a student to answer. Gabriella then took this opportunity to glance at her classmates, who were just as shocked as she was. They were nervously glancing around, looking to each other for the answer and wondering when the substitute would stop rubbing salt onto the open wound. Gabriella glared at the substitute, furious that he would play this trick. And then, it hit her.

No one had told him.

"U-Uhm," Gabriella spoke up for the first time that day, her voice sounding foreign even to her. "She's… She's no longer with us."

"Oh, did she drop?" The sub wondered, crossing her name off the list.

"Something like that," Gabriella responded, her voice small.

"Okay," He left it at that. "Gabriella Montez?"

"That's me," She sniffled, glancing at the empty seat beside her. "I'm here."

* * *

"_Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now, I see_…"

Tears poured down the cheeks of mourners and hysterical sobs coming for Andrew and Sarah Miller could be heard for miles as their daughter's casket was lowered into the ground. The church choir continued to croon '_Amazing Grace_' in the background, the angelic song fitting to the atmosphere, but no one could really tell if they were doing much good singing, since the mourners were too distracted by grief to listen to the beautiful music. The priest continued to pray over the sacred grounds she was lowered into, tossed a handful of dirt onto the casket once it hit the ground and advised the family to do the same.

And, though it was heartbreaking, they did.

Troy stood on the opposite side of the crowd, facing the Millers as they thanked the priest for his services and he offered them his condolences one last time. The crowd of mourners began to break up, saying their last goodbyes to Abby as they prepared to leave the cemetery. But Troy couldn't seem to figure out what to say to Abby. He had already poured his heart out to her in the hospital two weeks prior and then again at the wake this afternoon. So, bracing the cold and shivering a bit when the January breeze hit him, he stood and waited for guidance.

Gabriella was also huddled next to Troy, her hand clasped tightly in his as they tried to come up with something meaningful to tell Abby before they left her forever. She and Troy hadn't cried once during the entire ceremony and though some may be shocked by this, neither of them found it surprising. Gabriella had cried more in the last month than she had in her entire lifetime- there were hardly any tears left in her body. So, instead of crying, she inhaled and exhaled deeply, internally and externally calming herself and waiting for clever words to come to her.

She turned to Troy and bit her lip, cautious. "Are you okay?"

Troy nodded, kissing her cheek. "Yeah. You?"

"I think so," Gabriella answered uneasily. "I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," Troy said nervously. "I've never done this before."

"After this, I don't want to do it again for a long, long time," Gabriella stated adamantly and Troy decided that was a fair deal.

They stepped a bit closer towards Abby's new grave and sighed with despair. Gabriella spoke first. "Hey Abby. I hope you and Giuliana are having a good time up there. Maybe you can watch some scary movies or practice for the Olympics. Giuliana did always want to learn gymnastics. I had a great time with you this year, Abby. Goodbye and… I'll visit here soon."

Squeezing Troy's hand, she stepped back a bit so he could have his time alone with her. Troy sighed. "Hey Ab. Thanks for everything, I guess. Have a good time up there and thanks for all of the advice. I did keep the promise you made me promise you, the one about Gabriella. I asked her out, Ab, and she said yes. I guess you were right- we _were _oblivious to each other's feelings. I thought she felt just as guilty as I did, and I guess she did. But… With your help, we were able to overcome that and now… Well, everything's going well so far."

He shot her a smile and Gabriella returned it eagerly. "So I don't know if Gabriella told you, but the minute you died, the blood test came back and found out that the guy that was going to donate his bone marrow to you matched your blood perfectly. You might've been okay, Ab… And we'll never know. But, I guess, like you said, it's better this way. You were ready to die, even if we weren't ready to let go."

"Oh, and by the way, I don't know if I'll be able to keep the promise of forgetting about you. I found a picture of us at the lake that summer we first got together, you know? I was going to get rid of it, but… I couldn't. I kept it. It's in the attic upstairs… I couldn't keep it with me because you told me to forget you, but I couldn't get rid of it, Abby. There's no way I could do that. But I am going to try for you, okay? You told me to forget and… I _am_ going to try. Good luck up there, Abby. Goodbye."

He stepped back and only then realized that the church choir was still singing.

"_Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail. And mortal life shall cease. I shall possess within the veil. A life of joy and peace…_"

Standing, Troy retreated to Gabriella and slung an arm around her shoulders, hers finding its way around his waist. They walked back down the dirt pathway to where Troy had parked his car, silently coming to terms with the terrible fact that Abigail Miller would never return. However, something good had come of her early demise. Gabriella turned to Troy and smiled softly, squeezing his side as he returned her smile and placed a soft kiss on her lips. The death of their friend was heart-wrenching, horrific, and hideous. Though they were far from healed, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez knew that they made a dynamic duo and could handle anything.

Together.


End file.
